And so the Silver Fox announces his retirement for the end of the 2010 season! I’m extremely proud of the Silver Fox! Big breath in and a big breath out and then I repeat this like a gazillion times and then I try really, really, really hard to stay in the moment and not to worry too much about the future. I’m still practicing the whole ‘be in the moment’ way of living. Brett is much more advanced at that than me. I’m a dreamer, my imagination gets me through hard times and above all I’m a thinker… a practical thinker… and so I’ve been thinking…. A lot!

I think back to the end of 1998 and Brett asked me to move to Sydney with him when the Swans selected him through the Rookie draft. At the time I was still living at home in Wagga Wagga with my mum and dad and had just completed my university degree. I was excited to move to Sydney but scared too. I remember my first couple of months living in a house with three footballers being quite hard, lonely and I was extremely home sick.

Twelve years on and I like the place. I never thought I would but it’s been fun and I have had some wonderful experiences through not only football, but also my work at Taronga Zoo and my young family being born here. Brett has always tried to stress to his peers that football is a fortunate life. Our fortunate life has allowed us to have a house in Coogee and many days filled with sun and fun at the beaches that border the Eastern Suburbs - Our very own bit of paradise.

I was talking about this to a very wise friend just recently and sensing my concern and worry she said this to me -

“Hayley, I used to live on the beach in a small place just north of Cairns. It was just me and my three dogs; It was my paradise. But then one day I woke up and I knew it was time to leave and I kept thinking to myself why am I doing this, I live in paradise? My move from there took me on a journey that ended in a house on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean and I stayed there for 15 years. There is more than one paradise, you just have to leave to be able to find it.”

So there will come a time to leave paradise but not just yet. We have a premiership season to contend with, and a red and white flag to wave high, and a song of cheer to sing loudly.

Hayley Kirk

Also-known-as-the-other-half