These are the best of days...

 

Lately, I find myself thinking back to a childhood that seems idyllic looking in the rearview mirror.  Being a kid back then was very different than it is today. Not better, just different.  Things that I did back then, I would never think of allowing my kids do when they were kids.

My summer routine from the time I was 9 or 10 was to leave the house on my bicycle, ride into town, where most of my friends lived, and fill my day with fun and adventures. I lived about a mile away from downtown and thought nothing of that bike ride.

Today, there are bike teams and developmental programs. And roads that just don’t seem safe anymore. But a talented cyclist today can go places and do things we never knew existed.

There wasn’t a public pool in my hometown so if we wanted to go swimming, we jumped in the nearest body of water. All of us could swim and never gave a thought to any dangers.

These days, it’s 4 AM wakeup calls to get to swimming practice.  And, for those serious enough, a second practice that afternoon.

Coach Ratledge, the high school football coach, provided a program called Summer Recreation, downtown at the only ballpark in town.  Some days we would do crafts but most days we would divide up into teams and play baseball, with Coach Ratledge as the only umpire.

These days, it’s Little League and private coaches. And travel teams for everything.  I once joined my son and his daughter on an excursion that included soccer games in Buffalo and Pittsburgh. Don’t get me wrong—it was an awesome trip and we really made the best of it, but that’s a 1400 mile road trip for two games.

It seems like we were always throwing something. Chucking rocks at a road sign, keeping score on who hit it the most times. And skipping rocks across a pond, counting the number of skips. 

I see kids today that have reached puberty and have never thrown anything.  They have to learn the throwing motion from scratch, learning something that just came naturally to us.

And tennis. We had borrowed balls and borrowed rackets for the longest time, and no public courts to play on, but we played all the time. It’s a bit different today.

But before you assume that it was good back then and bad today, let me tell you that both were and are wonderful. Kids today have lots more opportunities. We had football and basketball.  If girls didn’t play basketball, they didn’t have anything to play.

Kids are better today.  More athletic. Bigger, stronger, faster. As good as my high school football team might have been, we would have struggled against a good team today.  And there probably wouldn’t have been much place for a 190 pound right tackle (me).

Fewer kids played sports back then because there just wasn’t much opportunity for them. These days, there’s something for everybody. Things we had never heard of back then are common today. Soccer. Lacrosse. Martial arts. Even things like volleyball, softball, and flag football for girls.

No, yesterday was not perfect, yet it was the best of times, and the worst of times. Just like today. 

 

Be That Friend...

 

My kids will tell you—they were never allowed to ride in the back of a pickup truck. Keep in mind, that just about their whole lives, I have owned a pickup truck.

My daughter was particularly embarrassed one time when she had ridden a short distance in the back of a pickup of the dad of one of her friends, and had planned to return to that friend’s house riding once again in the back of that pickup truck.

I said no.  As in, adamantly no. It was quite embarrassing for her. “But all my friends do it!”

All my friends do it. Parents, how many times have you heard that?

That great philosopher (and former football coach and guidance counselor) David Ellis tells the story of two friends walking along the sidewalk, when one of them starts to step into the street into incoming traffic.

Of course, the other friend grabs them and pulls them back to safety. Of course they do. Everybody would do that.

Coach Ellis’s story continues. So, if you would keep your friend from stepping into traffic, why wouldn’t you stop them when they are about to do something else dangerous? Or stupid? Are the circumstances not the same?

Isn’t that what friends do?  Yes, without hesitation!

So, why don’t we apply the same logic, the same scenario, when our friends are about to get into things like alcohol and drugs? Or hanging out with the wrong people?  Or are putting themselves in a dangerous position?

My own parents’ admonition if I were ever to say “but all my friends are doing it” was the same thing—if all your friends are jumping off a bridge, would you jump too? Uh, no, I guess not.

Here’s the bottom line:  Our friends often have more influence on our behaviors than our parents.

There have been three former football players at Maryville High School that have died of drug overdose. I could sugarcoat it, but that serves no real purpose.  It is what it is.

I don’t know if the problem is any different at that school than any other, I just knew those kids and I was part of that athletic program for decades.

These were good kids—kids I enjoyed being around. But if you think for a minute this couldn’t happen in your family or on your team, you’re wrong.

Teach your kids about things in this world that they shouldn’t do, but maybe it’s more important to teach them to help their friends make better decisions.

Young people—be that friend that keeps somebody from stepping off the sidewalk into oncoming traffic.  

 

It's time...

 

I had a colonscopy this week.  It isn’t the first time.  I have a strong family history of colon cancer so since I was 40, I have had a colonoscopy any time my Gastroenterologist tells me to. 

For years, it was Dr. Ed Brown.  a kind, gentle man, Dr. Brown was the kind of doctor that you want for this kind of problem. 

After he retired, those duties fell to Dr. Isaac Cline. I’ve known Dr. Cline sine long before he became Dr. Cline.  When he was but a boy, his dad (also Dr. Cline, as is his mother) brought him to me for an injury. He was later an outstanding lineman for us on the Maryville High School football team.

Like Dr. Brown before him, Dr. Cline is patient, caring, and thorough. I am literally trusting him with my life.

Now (you might ask), what do colon cancer and colonscopy and gastroenterology and all this have to do with sports.  After all, this is in the sports page.

Oh, I suppose I could stretch it to say that I still consider myself an athlete and this is part of being active and healthy in these, my senior years.  Or I could use it to write about a young man that was a hard-working, dedicated football player and maybe turned those sports lessons into a medical career.

But that’s stretching it a bit, though true.  And it’s not really about me.  A young friend of my children has recently been diagnosed with advanced state colon cancer. But this really isn’t about her either. I know she will get the best possible care and should live a long and happy life.

No, this one’s for you.  And, yes, I know, I’ve written this same thing before. But it bears repeating

Colon cancer is completely treatable if detected early.  I actually started colon screenings in my 30’s.  There’s a thing called a Fecal Occult Test, basically testing for blood in your feces (as my granddaughter said—ewwwww!).

Those at high risk, mainly those with a family history of colon cancer, need to get a colonoscopy, beginning at age 40. But those without a family history also need to get checked.  Dr. Cline noted that those without a family history of colon cancer often don’t get checked until they have symptoms, and that is late in the game. 

He also notes that colon cancer is not just genetic, that it is often largely environmental. Those that are smokers, eat a lot of processed food, are obese, and who consume significant amounts of alcohol are also at risk and need to be checked. It’s actually a good idea for everyone 20 and older to see their Primary Care Physician on an annual basis. Period. No exceptions.

The colonoscopy really isn’t as bad as it sounds—you’re asleep the whole time during the procedure.  The hard part is the liquid diet the day before.  My go-to sustenance is warm lime Jello and Dr. Peppers.  All day long.

My exam this year is the best one I’ve had and years, but I can tell you the only thing on my mind when I woke up was food.  For me, that was a breakfast bowl at Calloway’s Tennessee Kitchen. Biscuit and gravy with added on Springer Mountain Chicken and Benton’s Bacon. The thought of that got me through a very long Tuesday and the procedure on Wednesday. You do whatever it takes.

If you’re at risk, get checked soon.  Don’t put it off.  I won’t tell you it’s easy, but I will tell you that it is important.