I’ve never trained formally as a basketball player, although sometimes I wish I had. I find I still fumble at my fundamentals, after all these years. Sometimes I get to play, sometimes not… especially when the conditions are not right. And since my early days, when my many efforts saw missed shots and devastating disappointments, I have since honed my skills and developed accuracy, confidence and team awareness.

But, I realize a yawning lack still, and try as I might, I know there are many things that I still have not trained for. My footwork is erroneous and my passing too predictable. I get too tense under pressure. My game style is too boring.

I am super gung ho for the game right now, but I have also learnt not to be too hung up on it either, and risk fouling out the joy. When my fear of  failure makes another pass at me, I freeze. So I’m learning to relax and take the plays as they come, although I’m still missing baskets, losing games. 

But today, I will reach for the ball again and begin anew.

[ps. This post isn't about basketball.]