I spent most of my life involved with sports. I started ice skating at five and skiing at eight. I don’t remember learning to swim, but I spent 35 years in lap pools. I was an amateur sports official for four decades, a time during which I called football, baseball, ice hockey, soccer, and basketball games. I’ve ridden horses and hiked the backcountry. I’ve lifted weights and practiced yoga. I’m a scuba diver.
I mention my forays in the sports world, because I feel I’ve been led astray. Remember when they told us sports were good for us? Well, I’m pretty sure they lied.
How do I know? Rotator cuff surgery: twice. A decade of shots filled with gelatinous goo that was routinely inserted into my knees. A compression fracture in my spine. A broken leg. Two fractured arms. Horrendous bruises that had people staring. One woman actually approached me and pointed at my banged-up leg.
“I was hit by a line drive in a baseball game,” I explained.
“You don’t have to lie, honey.” She shook her head. “We’ll get the bastard!”
“No, really. It was a baseball. See the seams?”
The point is, those of us who climbed on the sports wagon believed we would be healthy and happy for all that effort. But even something as seemingly benign as swimming can leave proverbial scars. All that repetitive motion eventually has painful results.
And still, doctors say exercise and sports are good for us. The Web.MD article “Exercise: What’s In It For You?” says, all that sweat and effort can improve our mood, give us more energy, make us more productive, improve our quality of sleep, give us strong bones and muscles, lower our risk of cancer, give us healthy hearts, help control our weight, lead to longer lives, and ease arthritis pain.
I have to say here that the last one made me laugh, since my aching joints are a direct result of, you guessed it, sports and exercise.
Sometimes, when I’m having a particular sore day, I think back to the times I pushed myself too hard or failed to get out of the way. Back then my choices seemed reasonable. But today all of my painful parts put those decisions in a different light.
There’s nothing much I can do about my damaged joints and muscles and that collection of X-rays, MRIs, and scars, but I did finally admit to myself that given the opportunity and a time-travel capsule, I’d probably do it all again.
Not sure what that says about me, but there you have it.
Coming soon!
Your Forgotten Sons
Inspired by a true story
Anne Montgomery
Bud Richardville is inducted into the Army as the United States prepares for the invasion of Europe in 1943. A chance comment has Bud assigned to a Graves Registration Company, where his unit is tasked with locating, identifying, and burying the dead. Bud ships out, leaving behind his new wife, Lorraine, a mysterious woman who has stolen his heart but whose secretive nature and shadowy past leave many unanswered questions. When Bud and his men hit the beach at Normandy, they are immediately thrust into the horrors of what working in a graves unit entails. Bud is beaten down by the gruesome demands of his job and losses in his personal life, but then he meets Eva, an optimistic soul who despite the war can see a positive future. Will Eva’s love be enough to save him?
Release Date: June 6, 2024
Pre-Order your copy today
Anne Montgomery’s novels can be found wherever books are sold.
Author Anne Montgomery 
You know, I recall a few interviews with aging athletes who’ve won championships, and though they’re suffering from old injuries, they said they’d do it all again. You’re in good company, Superstar!
LikeLike
Awww…thanks, Sharon! Others might think I’m crazy, but in the interest of dying with good stories, I do it all again. 😉
LikeLike