August 6, 2014
My Instead: I got a
lesson on how to spin a basketball on the tip of my finger.
My friend Annette had
some vacation time to burn off, so she opted to spend some of it with me. Since
she had never seen my crib before, there was no better time than the present
for her to come all the way to Belleville to visit me! Understanding that my
schedule is pretty jammed pack with work and “insteads” and blogging, she
provided dinner for us…one of my favorite summer meals, BLTs.
We were a bit indecisive
about what to do after we ate. Should we take a walk, catch a movie, have a
drink, or just stay in and chill? We agreed to stay in. Both our lives needed
some down time. As it turned out though, it was not the time for “down”…entirely
the opposite.
Annette was quite the
basketball player in her day and I wanted to take full advantage of her
expertise. I emerged from my garage with a basketball, suggesting that she show
me how to do a basketball-spin on one finger. She admitted that she was probably
a little rusty, but I reminded her that anything is better than what I could
do. After a few spinning flounders, Annette was back in the groove. She showed
me the basics and then it was my turn. What the heck! This was harder than I
thought. I couldn’t do it on my first try! Nor my fiftieth! Oh, I got it to
spiral a few times and the look on my face was priceless, according to Annette.
Bless her heart.
We continued with the
lessons and the laughs. Annette reassured me that she had practiced for hours
and hour to master the technique. I was about 30 minutes into it and expecting
to be Michael Jordan! I was determined, but apparently you need more than determination.
Maybe I'll keep a basketball close by and give it a spin once in a
while…you never know what an old dog can learn.
We ventured on to
hula-hoops in hopes that I could master something before the evening ended.
Speaking on my own behalf, I did perform better with the hoop. Not much better,
but better. Annette, however, showed off her athletic ability again and was
hula hooping to beat the band. I was feeling a bit intimidated, but it was
nothing my aging ego could not handle.
Whether or not I aced either
one of these two activities is probably a moot point. What IS the point? I
guess it’s just living life, laughing loud, learning lots, and loving.
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