I think the worst part about having a bum shoulder is the fear of injury. Whenever I'd get a little cocky about the stability of my shoulder, I would inevitable hurt it. Over time, I have become more and more careful regarding physical activity involving the shoulder.

One of hardest things has been watching COPS. Every time I watch them grab a guy, and wrench their arms around their back to cuff them, I cringe. The "perp" gets tossed to the ground, their arms pulled behind them, and maybe a knee or two pushed against them for support, and the cuffs roughly placed around their wrist. There is no way my shoulder could handle that abuse today.

This is why I have put my career as a two-bit criminal on hold. It has been difficult to give up what I love, but the risk of injury has been too great.

I still find myself driving by convenience stores, that aren't on the way home...