I don’t think I've mentioned too much about the other aspect
of my “endeavor.”
It’s actually quite simple. This journey I have set myself
on has two main goals.
You already know the first well. I am trying to find that
other piece of myself. That is, the person who truly completes me.
The second is to better myself.
There are a lot of different ways to better oneself. You can
eat healthier, get fit, learn a new language, etc. The possibilities are
endless. I want to focus on getting in shape first.
It isn't like I’m out of shape or anything. Though, I can
probably attribute that to my wonderful high-end metabolism. Without it, I
would probably be little more than a blob of fat by now. Especially after the
long and harsh winter that Michigan has gone through this year. I've been
cooped up indoors with few options to get rid of excess energy.
Now yes, I realize there are plenty of ways to exercise
indoors. And to be honest, none of them ever really appealed to me. Sure, I
could lift weights… but I have a hard time staying focused on training regimens
based on weights alone. Sure, I could run on a treadmill, but what would
running be without the wind in your face and the sun setting in the distance?
It sounds like a lot of excuses, I know. But indoor training
programs have always eluded me. Give me a basketball or soccer ball, and the
great outdoors, and I will run myself into the ground.
Anyways, the warm weather finally returned this week! And
yes, I did get the opportunity to get outside and begin my long-awaited
training program.
It was an interesting affair for sure. To begin, I decided
to get out and see where I was at physically. There is nothing like some
stamina and jump-training, which is easy enough if you have a basketball and
hoop. After my usual training grounds from last year turned out to be in use by
another group of people, I headed down to the main riverside park in my town.
There, I found the court empty and unused.
After simply running through a few standard drills, I was
exhausted. My stamina definitely needs more work than I knew. Every section of
the muscles in my legs used for jumping and changing direction (I’m not even
going to try to name them) was on fire.
It was then that a younger kid from a group of people who
were visiting the park at the time took an interest in what I was doing. It was
strange how I was able to read his interest so easily, even from a number of
feet away. I was sure to throw in some extra flashy moves when he was looking.
I know, I can be a bit of a showoff at times, but hey.
Anyways, he eventually made his way over to the court and
sat on one of the benches off to the side. He pretended to be engrossed in his
phone, but I could see him keeping an eye on me from around the edges of the
phone. He was obviously someone who enjoyed the sport greatly.
After a while, I got tired. So, while I went to cool off a
bit, stretch, and drink water, I asked him if he wanted to shoot a bit. His
face lit up. It was a great feeling. The two of us spent the next hour or so
taking turns shooting. Not much was said outside of some congratulations on
made shots, and encouragement on missed ones.
Honestly, it was quite surreal. It was just a connection
between two people who love to play the game. Ages didn't matter. Skill didn't
matter. Hometowns didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was the love of
the game. It took me back to when I played soccer in high school.
Eventually, he had to leave with his parents and younger
siblings. I could see his parents flashing me a few thankful smiles as they
left. Just as he left, I realized that I hadn't even gotten his name…
I knew next to nothing about him. I didn't know his name. I
didn't know where he lived. I didn't know if he even played basketball much.
All I knew was his love for the game of basketball. And that is all that really
mattered.
Afterwards, I finished up what was left of my main workout,
but was pretty burned out by that point. I did some free throw drills and was
getting ready to leave when some other kids showed up. Unlike the other one,
these kids were a bit older, probably juniors or seniors in high school. They
also didn't seem to care for me taking up one side of the court. Either that or
they just didn't have time to care that I was around. It would be safe to
assume that I didn't invite them to shoot with me. They just seemed to me like
your average jocks.
I finished up my workout and left, offering only a “good
luck” for parting words.
Needless to say, I was a bit intrigued by the experience. I
have always been a rather shy person when it comes to sharing my workouts with
others. So far, I have only done so with family members and close friends;
never with a stranger. But something connected between the two of us. That is,
the love of the game. It was sharply contrasted by the two jocks who came
later, who wanted nothing to do with me. Maybe it was because they had their
own ball, but I still think a lot of it had to do with the difference in
personalities between people.
Ultimately, I have to commend the younger kid for being
brave. I wouldn't have gone over to a court with a total stranger and asked in
every manner but with words if I could join him. It takes a real love of the
game to do that. And I truly enjoyed his company.
I am writing this two days later, and honestly, I don’t
think I have ever been this sore. It hurts just to walk, and climbing stairs is
met with some excruciating pain. I would say I accomplished my goal of getting
a good workout and then some. I just have to wait for the muscle tissue to
repair itself, and it is off to do it all over again. In the meantime, I should
probably find some time to implement core workouts as well. Leg and lower-body
workouts are all fine, but I need some upper-body strength to go along with it.
Core workouts have always been the bane of my workout
routines. I just hate them. They tend to be incredibly boring and it tends to
take forever to start seeing results. I’m rarely successful with them. This
time might be different though. I have a vision in mind that I should be able
to use to motivate me.
You see, lately, I have been having this daydream… if I ever
meet the girl of my dreams, I want to be able to pick her up and twirl her
around, the same way they often do in the movies. I’m not sure exactly where I
got that image from. Maybe it is from the innumerable times I have had to watch
Frozen at my workplace, with it being on repeat on the TV’s and all. Whatever
the case, I doubt I would be strong enough to lift much of anything with any
substantial weight right now, much less another human being.
It will take a lot of training to get to that point, but it
is certainly something I can strive towards.
