Bowl of Turkey? No thank you.

For eighteen years I participated in the Annual Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving morning. It was something I looked forward to each year, to be able to go out and knock some guys around and catch a few passes. It was good times, but it also came with a cost. There were thanksgiving dinners where I would not be able to get up off the floor, constant headaches, back aches, and body aches. But, it was worth it. That little bit of macho, still coursing through the veins.

The Turkey Bowl began to bring other athletes to the table. What started as a friendly game to get the blood going, turned into a high school reunion of football players looking to regain the glory of their younger years. As soon as I started seeing mouth pieces, I began to worry. They ignored my pleas to replace the football game with a good game of kickball.

So a little thing called wisdom stepped in. My body sat my brain down and gave it a good tongue-lashing. "Why do you do this to me?" my body says. "Macho went out of style in 12th grade!" So, in the year 2006, my body celebrated it's first painfree Thanksgiving since the mid-80s.

I intend to celebrate my second this Thursday. My pride left me a long time ago...and I'm alright with that.