The Smell of the Grass

I spent this last weekend bonding with my father-in-law building a fence at my house. It was hard work, I learned alot, and really enjoyed getting to know him better. As we were finishing last night, something struck me.....something I really miss.....the smell of the grass. Anyone who has ever played football knows what I'm talking about. As the sun is going down in the summer and fall, the grass gets a little wet, and a smell so lovely eminates from the ground.....the smell of football.
There are 5 things in this world that I love. I love God, my wife, my children, parents and sister and.....football. I may be 33, but every Saturday and Sunday I feel like a little kid again. I get butterflies right before kickoff of the big game. CBS at 2:30 in the afternoon on a Saturday is the best time of the year. There's just something about it.....I really can't put my finger on it.
What I absolutely love about the South, especially Alabama, is that most everyone gets in to football. In a world where most people can't agree on much, one thing most people agree on is the love of football. It's a time to get together with friends and family. Many men test their merit on the grill on gameday. It's a reason for fathers and sons, husbands and wives, best friends from college, to take road trips to tailgate and cheer their team on. And then on Monday morning, everyone talks about what happened. Armchair quarterbacks make their corrections of the coach, and prognosticate the coming weekend's games. Radio shows provide a forum for rival fans to talk smack to each other. All because of the most wonderful game ever created.....football (let me say that I LOVE baseball and basketball, it's just that football was my first love.....literally).
I am thankful to be married to a woman who loves football almost as much as I do, because I am liable to watch games from 11am to the Pac-10 games on foxsports around midnight.
I've heard that the sense of smell is the strongest sense tied to memory. Every time I smell the grass, I remember the days when I was playing. The commraderie (sp?), the late nights getting home from a road game, the hot summer practices, and the thrill of a big win. Now, it reminds me of something to look forward to every weekend in the fall. Try to enjoy your Saturdays this fall.....I'll be standing over my grill, going through my pre-game ritual, and cheering on the CRIMSON TIDE!!

Gotta love football,

David