I was not the best basketball player by a long shot, but as someone that grew up during the heyday of the 1990’s Chicago Bulls, I knew the role I was supposed to play on any team I was on. I was definitely not Michael Jordan, nor was I supposed to be Scottie Pippen. I was there to do the things that no one else wanted to do, which meant I was supposed to be Dennis Rodman without the tattoos, piercings, and colored hair.
I prided myself on diving for loose balls. In fact, by most seasons’ end my knees were so many colors that my mom could not even look at them. She tried to convince me to wear knee pads, but there was no way I was letting any girl see me wear knee pads. I was willing to get my knees bloody if that is what needed to be, but I was going to do so on my terms!
My basketball career may have been short lived, but I look back on it fondly all these years later. All the elbows, floor dives, and running, prepared me for the reality of “the real world.” Much of life comes down to the things our basketball coach taught us many years ago: fundamentals, toughness, and “who wants it more?” It sounds cliche, but it is not.
I am asking myself a few simple questions as fall progresses into winter that I will share with you:
Given that life has not been easy the last 20 months, and that my body is tired, am I willing to keep running?
Am I willing to outwork the opposition?
Am I willing to still dive for loose balls?
Am I willing to get my knees a little bloody?
It is time to look in the mirror and recommit.
December is often the most busy time of the year. But, I challenge you to make time to reflect on these questions right now.
It is almost time to sign back up and do it again for another year.
Are you in?
I am.