Pride Makes Guys Do Stupid Things

No one wants to admit what really happened. No one wants to be the guy that got hurt doing X. How much of a role does your pride play into the excuse you give for how you got hurt or why you're sore?

I'm convinced no one admits the real reason they got hurt. I came to that conclusion after a golfing "incident" this weekend at Terry Hills in Batavia (side note, it's a beautifully kept public course). You see, at the moment, I look like I got punched in the nose. I've got a cut that's going to leave a pretty big scar. Every time someone has asked what happened, they laughed and said I'd tell people (insert scenario here) happened to you when I tell them the story.

We were playing the North Course and were on number 9. I had driven the ball pretty well off the tee (pretty well is a relative term for me since I'm a 12 handicap), and my ball was sitting on the top of that first hill, right before it dips down into a swale again. Well, I went to pull the 5 iron of my bag before my buddy drove off in the cart. The thing is, he started driving away before I had the club all the way out of the bag, and POW! Right in the nose.

The feeling was like when you get into a fight, and the other person lands one square in the middle of your face. Right on the nose. You see stars, your eyes water, you get disoriented; all of it. It knocked me to the ground. When I stand up, I've got blood pouring down my face in the middle of the fairway. While it looked bad, it really wasn't. But it bled a lot. A. LOT. I spent the drive back to Buffalo with my head wrapped in a golf towel. I'm sure the people that saw me on the 90 were wondering what in the hell was happening in my car.

I told you how people react when I tell them what really happened, so now, I just tell people my girlfriend got angry at me and punched me. I leave out the part where she did it in her sleep (which she does and it happens more often than it probably should. I'm starting to suspect she's not *really* sleeping and is just using it as an excuse. Which, no one could or would blame her for.)

Maybe I'll start to tell people I got into a fight after getting cut off on the 90. You know that exit to the 400 going towards West Seneca is always a prime spot for getting cut off. Or, getting a ticket (speed trap central). Either way, I'm convinced there are a lot more stupid, self-inflicted injuries than anyone is admitting, because whatever happened to them, they didn't feel was manly enough or cool enough.

Pride. Do we ever really overcome it?