Risky
Business
10.15.15
-- My
former chiropractor shook her head when I told her
I’d
played rugby recently. We crossed paths at an Isagenix event, and she
said, “I don’t know why
anyone would want to play that game.

The thrill's not gone
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It's so damaging to
the
spine.” I suppose so. But I still
enjoy it. And despite the sometimes bone-rattling
collisions, rugby helps to keep me fit. There’s also a thrill
about putting it all
on the line, a primal energy that sharpens the senses and lifts the
spirit. And surviving a game relatively unscathed makes you feel invincible for a few
brief,
shining moments.
“How’s
that guy who broke his neck?” the
chiropractor asked. It
happened during a local tournament several years back, a freak injury
that left
a relatively young father paralyzed. It’s frightening to
think that could
happen to me, but the possibility makes finishing a match with all of
my motor
functions intact even more rewarding.
Daring...or just plain dumb?
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As you can see, I’ve actually been
practicing risky behavior since I was a toddler, climbing a jungle gym
to the top,
diving off a cliff into Lake Powell, tightrope walking along
a railing
high above a concrete water sluice… It’s in my DNA, just like brown eyes and
male pattern baldness.
“Why do you do it?” the
chiropractor wondered. If you have to ask that question, you probably
wouldn't understand the answer. Playing full-contact rugby at age 61
may not be the
brightest thing
in the world. But the fact that I’m still able to do it says
I must be doing
something right.
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