I'm leaning to the left as I'm typing this. In fact, I've been leaning to the left pretty much all day. Why? Because the right side of my butt is sore... very sore.

Late in the 3rd quarter of our basketball game yesterday, I was the first one back on defense during a 2-on-1 fastbreak by the other team. 2-on-1s are hard to defend against, and I'm not a good defensive player by any stretch of the imagination, so I knew I had to do the smart thing and commit a foul. But before I could get to the guy with the ball, he lobbed a pass to the other guy, who was right near the basket.

As I turned around, a brilliant (OK, really stupid) idea popped into my head. Hmm, that guy is fat. I bet he can't jump too high. I think I can jump high enough to block his shot! Unfortunately, I jumped too early... way before he went up for the shot. Uh-oh. I tried to avoid body contact, but my left leg bumped into his body. I spun around in midair and landed flat on my back. Ouch. On the concrete floor. Ouch ouch ouch.

I don't clearly remember what happened next. I think the referee blew the whistle and called a foul on me... I think. I was in quite a bit of pain. Next thing I know, players from both teams were hovering above me, asking me if I was OK. I decided that I was after lying there dazed for a few moments. A teammate pulled me up, and I limped to the bench.

Within minutes, the pain from the initial impact was gone. I stretched and jumped around... no pain. Yay adrenaline! So I played a bit more and went home. I felt perfectly fine... until I woke up this morning with a sore right hip. Since I lead a sedentary lifestyle, the sore hip really bothers me.

Oh well, it could have been worse. I could have bounced my head on the concrete and cracked my skull open like a watermelon. So I guess I'm still lucky.

Come to think of it, I've been lucky all my life. Unlike some of my less-fortunate friends, I've never been seriously injured while playing basketball. I do get frequent bruises and scratches, plus the occasional cut lip or black eye, but never anything major. No fractures. No torn ligaments. Not even an ankle sprain.

I know that my luck will probably run out sooner or later. But I think I'll keep playing, because I enjoy the game, even though it can sometimes be literally a pain in the ass.