Jessica McFarland

My first World Cup in England has seen me go from not caring about sports at all to watching as many games as I can and totally obsessing about it at any opportunity. It’s nice to have scheduled daily entertainment and high drama, with a convenient pre-built toilet/snack break in the middle.

So, I expected to be writing this post about disappointment. I fully expected, at this moment, to be surrounded by the bitter disappointment of a nation whose dreams of glory had been smashed (by a country I had to google as, when I was learning about Eastern Europe, it did not exist).

Thankfully however, this is not the case. England beat Slovenia and will see another day of World Cup football. And no one collapsed onto the grass in tears (unlike the Italians — you won last time, let someone else have a turn!).

Instead I find myself surrounded by a cautious optimism. And I’m not really used to it. Because I’ve realised that, at least lately (I dunno, the last few years or so?), I’m quite the pessimist.
(more…)