The moment I knew I was going to play football

I was only about 10 and my friend Billy got one of those shiny new aluminum swing sets with the 2 swings, slide, 2 kid swing, see saw... the works. All the neighborhood kids came over to give it a whirl. All of our backyards were butted up against each other, so it was easy to see what everyone else was up to. When I ran over with my eyes wide and my imagination running wild Billy's mom came running outside and yelled at me, "NJX70, no! You can't play on the swings! You're over the weight limit!" In front of every kid from my block. I ran home accross the old lady's back yard, under the apple tree, the mulberry tree, the pear tree and back to my house where I sat on the swing set my dad had built out of 4X4s and cried. My mom called me in the house and I couldn't say anything. I finally got out why I was crying and she told me, "Don't worry. You're size will be your greatest blessing when you're old enough to play football. I PROMISE you everything will be allright."

[so you have a point of reference, I wrestled 148s when I was 8 years old because you were allowed a 3lb margin of error... which I ended up breaking before I was 9]

That night I dreamed of what it would feel like to wear the gear I saw the giants wearing on TV. I lusted over football. It was all I ever wanted. It was going to make me like everyone else. I was going to be cool. It wasn't going to matter that I was a foot taller and 70lbs heavier than everyone in my grade. I was "blessed" and I was going to prove myself.

I love you, Mom.