There was a time many years ago when I was young and fit and reasonably athletic and played Australian football.
I've never been a great player as I grew up mostly playing basketball, but I enjoyed the experience.
One of the most vivid memories of my fleeting career as a pedestrian is the feeling you get when the last siren goes off and you walk off the ground or maybe hobble.
Footy is a very physical game, and the country leagues I've played in have been brutal. So you felt like every bone and muscle in your body had bumps and bruises.
It was the best feeling in the world.
When I tore the tape off my shoulder and shook hands with my opponent for the day, it didn't matter who won.
We were in battle.
We survived.
And we had the scars to prove it.
People who had never played the game didn't really understand it.
Doesn't it hurt?
Yes.
Aren't you afraid?
Sometimes.
Are you crazy?
Maybe.
But if you avoid the pain, you never get the experience.
If you don't get bruises, you won't get memories.
If you play it safe, you haven't really lived.
And that's the key here.
Sure, the bumps and bruises hurt.
But they also remind us that we have lived.
Never forget that.
So:
Laden …
