There is something about football...

... that makes me feel alive, in my body, fully in the here-and-now. To some extent, even the minor injuries I get - today, scrapes all down my right leg from sliding along the rock-hard ground of Seddon Fields - are kind of pleasurable in a weird way. But although I'm generally nervous as all hell before a game - torturing myself with visions of bad mistakes - when I can get into it there is nothing more pleasurable than chasing after the ball, and if I get my hands/feet on it, doing something useful with it. It's more than just an exercise rush - I have no patience with exercise for its own sake. It's also the feeling of being part of a team, and the thrill of friendly but intense competition. The feeling when I actually beat a good player to the ball is wonderful.

The player marking me in yesterday's game said "you'll do anything to get the ball, won't you?" She meant it as a compliment, and I took it as one.