Living Consciously
Big Decisions

Living consciously means to know what you do not want to do regarding making big decisions.

When I was at my son's high school freshmen open house with my ex-wife lately, the principal of the school was giving a speech. He was talking about how extracurricular activities are so good for kids.

Fine. Maybe, yes. Maybe, no. That is another discussion.

My ex leaned over during the talk and whispered to me that our son should really be in football. I nodded, not in agreement but in hoping that she would just drop it. I did not want to discuss our son's extracurricular activities in front of hundreds of strangers when everyone else was silent.

Football, why football?

Because he is big?

Because I played in high school?

When I played it was long hours of hot, sweaty, violent, mind-numbing practices.

It was profanity laced obscene coaches screaming at me and the rest of the kids. Questioning my guts, my manhood, my pride, my intelligence, my reason for existence. I could not stand up to the coaches. No one could. I am not sure any player can. No player, especially a high school kid, is living consciously enough to do that.

It was constant nagging injuries. I suffered aching knees, sprained ankles, shin splints, torn up hands, groin pulls, getting the wind knocked out of me, neck injuries and bruises all over. Thankfully I never had a crippling injury. A lot of guys aren't so lucky.

I had constant soreness and was continually tired. I never felt good at that time.

It was just expected that you would play in pain. It was a badge of courage. It was a macho thing. I did play all the time. I had pride in playing and doing the best I could and to not play was unthinkable.

It was also the threat of crippling injuries.

It was dehydration and painful thirst. At that time in the late 1970's and early 1980's you were not allowed to drink water. You were supposed to be in great shape and not need water. Drinking water was thought to make you a wussy. We were allowed a few sips of water if there even any water available.

It was having to run, run and run some more. Sometimes I think the coaches wanted greyhounds and not football players.

It was spoiling August, September and October for the 4 years of my high school.

It was a neck and shoulder injury that still bothers me to this day.

It was the promise of girls liking you because you played football. That was a lie to me. No girl ever liked me because of football. No girl ever gave me a look.

It was for funny stories, amusing anecdotes, and stories of the games that you tell later in life. Yet when I try to tell the stories, no one wants to hear. It is almost like they tell me to shut up about it, no one is interested, no one cares.

It was wearing big, black, ugly glasses, with white tape wrapped around the edges so the lenses stayed in.

It was being ugly with the glasses even under a helmet.

It was the other team ridiculing me because of the ugliness of my glasses.

It was the anxiety all day, every day on practice and game days. I suffered some sort of constipation and diarhea that is brought on by nervousness.

It was being ashamed of my body in the locker room.

It was having to share towels among 3 or 4 guys because the school couldn't be bothered to wash and dry the towels.

I was not living consciously at that time. I could no more not play football as fly to the moon on a bicycle. I had to play. It was expected.

So every year that my son does not go out for football is another good year for him, and for me. We are both living consciously.

It is one more year of me not worrying about:

1) My son dying on the practice field from heat induced dehydration like Korey Stringer.

2) My son dying from an asthma attack.

3) My son hearing obscene, profane coaches screaming at him. Questioning his manhood, his courage, his commitment, his will, his guts, his intelligence, his abilities.

4) My son being crippled for life like Marc Buoniconti.

5) My son being injured.

6) My son standing on the sidelines because he is not good enough to play.

7) My son playing all the time, because he is good.

8) My son seriously hurting someone else's son and then having to live with that the rest of his life.

9) Getting him to the practices and games on time.

10) Finding the money to pay for all the equipment that is needed.

11) Robbing him of his free time for doing the types of things he loves to do.

Every boy and parent should be thinking of this list and living consciously before deciding to play football.

Don't get me wrong. I love football. I love following the Green Bay Packers. I love to watch other pro football games. I like to watch college football once in awhile. I am living consciously now in enjoying other people playing football.

I enjoyed my high school football experience in spite of the negatives.

I am just saying that football is just too demanding to play unless you absolutely, passionately love it. Otherwise, it is not worth it.

Do it because you love every aspect of it. Living consciously starts young. Don't force your kids into activities they do not want to do.

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