Recently, I have been playing a good amount of basketball at the JHU gym. B-ball has been a fun alternative to first working out and second doing nothing physical. I haven’t played ball in a while (other than with those neighborhood boys) so I started pretty rusty. I took some extra time to work on my shot and it is on its way back to where it should be (I'm ready, Obama, think you got skillz? Come at me, bro). With all the full court games I have been playing, I have definitely been feeling my strength return in a really fun way. Takes me back to Santa Monica Beach, specifically the Original Muscle Beach area.
I got out there as much as I could; clear, blue skies, fit people having fun, sand, great places to eat, what is not to like? I met a woman there who was messing around on the rope at the right side of the above photo. She was pretty skillful and, when I asked her, she told me she learned everything just from having asked people. Cool. Then when I asked her if she was an athlete, she pointed to a patch on her bag which read, “I don’t practice, I play.” I really like that line and want to keep it fresh in my life.
Back to b-ball in B-more. One of the most prevalent aspects of the court culture I have noticed is a lack of confidence. Generally, many of the students/players on the court do not have the confidence to try to take a shot, drive towards the basket (through the dangerous defense), or be calm enough to play comfortably. Don’t get me wrong, there are many good players who have the walk and the talk, but there are many more members in the first group. Granted, probably a third of the players are freshman, but that group should also represent high school b-ball players. This shows me how much social development comes in and just after college.
I got out there as much as I could; clear, blue skies, fit people having fun, sand, great places to eat, what is not to like? I met a woman there who was messing around on the rope at the right side of the above photo. She was pretty skillful and, when I asked her, she told me she learned everything just from having asked people. Cool. Then when I asked her if she was an athlete, she pointed to a patch on her bag which read, “I don’t practice, I play.” I really like that line and want to keep it fresh in my life.
Back to b-ball in B-more. One of the most prevalent aspects of the court culture I have noticed is a lack of confidence. Generally, many of the students/players on the court do not have the confidence to try to take a shot, drive towards the basket (through the dangerous defense), or be calm enough to play comfortably. Don’t get me wrong, there are many good players who have the walk and the talk, but there are many more members in the first group. Granted, probably a third of the players are freshman, but that group should also represent high school b-ball players. This shows me how much social development comes in and just after college.
A guy standing on the sidelines who I got to let me join his five who were on deck to play told me something which jarred me and was the last encouragement I needed to write this post. He said, “yeah, you can definitely play with us. But what about those other guys, aren’t they your friends.” “No, I just met them,” I replied. I had just met guys on the other court and began shooting and messing around with them to such an extent, onlookers thought I had known them coming in. Mindblow.
I have increasingly surrounded myself with more and more hard working and successful people. I have been inspired to reach towards the level they are on and to validate myself for even being in the same room as them. However, there have been a few times that I have been around peers or others in public and have shocked myself with how far I have come. As Nelson Mandela said in his book The Long Walk to Freedom,
“I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.”
I realize I have a long way to go in terms of personal, social, and professional development to get me to where I want to be, but I have already climbed mountains in each category. With all of this playing though, I am pretty sore. I am now going to find out how much of my body I can immerse in ice.
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