Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. You know what that means – football! Not just the NFL games, which will dominate TV pretty much all day long, but also the cold, muddy fields where various forms of tag, flag or tackle football will be played all across America. For me, that means the young guys versus the more mature guys (okay, us old guys).

I have been part of this tradition for about 10 years. As I mentioned, I play for the old guys, which is basically my softball team. We are led by GT‘s own Louie Atsaves, who is as fast as any of the young speedsters. Unfortunately, the rest of us aren’t quite as fast as Louie (and when I say ‘aren’t quite’ I mean aren’t anywhere near). We rely on our veteran guile to beat the young’ens!

In theory, this game isn’t about winning, it is about friendships. However, once we get on the field, that philosophy goes out the window. It’s never a bloodbath (although one guy broke his nose on the very first play three years ago), but our competitive juices flow and we all want to win.

Back to the friendships – this game is sort of the off-season bridge. There may be an occasional call or email, but for the most part, most of us will not see each other until next softball season.

Thanksgiving is the perfect time for this game. Shortly after college, I moved from the far south side of Chicago to the near north suburbs. Most of my old neighborhood friends also moved, scattering themselves across the state and country. I had to develop new friendships and many of them are with these guys. On Thanksgiving, as I line up with and against these friends, I am reminded of how thankful I am for them and their friendships.

I am also reminded of my family, older friends and other new friends.

On Friday, as I gulp down some aspirin for the pain, I might question the decision to play, but I will still be thankful for all of these people in my life.

-John Wroblewski, distribution specialist