I’m grateful for basketball in the park. I am very grateful for whomever put up the nets. I’m grateful for all of the pain-alleviating products. I’m grateful to see the spark in other people. I’m grateful for knowing things will be ok. I’m grateful for the times I got it wrong. I’m grateful to be sober today.
From1 a Thanks for Letting Me Share perspective, it’s been a very busy few days, culminating in the release of Episode XX of Breakfast with an Alcoholic:
After I put the episode up, I went to the park to shoot around a little bit. It was still early and not too hot and a little workout was in order. Well, you can only guess my reaction when I got over there and saw this:
A truly good Samaritan occasionally brings a stepladder to the park and he and his sons put nets up on the three hoops.2 I’ve played a lot of basketball in playgrounds and shooting at a hoop with nets is kind of a much-appreciated luxury.3 Seriously. I get a lot of pleasure when the ball hits the back of the rim, falls straight down and spins back to me. A lot of pleasure. But watching the ball swish through the net, well, that’s a different kind of sublime. You don’t get the ripping noise you get in a gym, but watching the ball float for that split-second right before it tears through the net is pretty magical.
There was even some old-guy two-on-two yesterday. When I was younger, games were to 15 by ones, win by two. Old-guy basketball is to 11 with an agreement that we will consult in good faith about declaring a winner at 7. In old-guy basketball, you do find yourself sincerely rooting for your opponents to make shots, because it’s really hot and you’re really tired.4 Anyway, a great morning all the way around and made substantially better by someone who did something nice and didn’t stick around to take credit.5 Thank you for the nets!
Then I met our friend Jane to help facilitate her first episode of Breakfast with an Alcoholic and it’s going to be so great. Just listening to Jane and her Guest Alcoholic talk and share funny stories about being sober and being in the Program was really great. I know I get a real sense of enthusiasm when I talk about the Program, because it saved my life and it’s just a substantially better way to live. Watching that same enthusiasm develop in other people is just so amazing. Anyway, I’m already excited for Episode 21 and to get back to those nets. Happy Monday.
Thanks for Letting Me Share
It turns out that you can’t footnote the captions on the share and subscribe buttons. Thanks, Substack! I did want to point out, as soon as was practicable, that there are no sweepstakes or contests of any kind associated with us here in any way. I guess what I meant is that maybe someone else with a sweepstakes would think it was cool that you were sharing this and would enter you in their sweepstakes. I guess that’s pretty different, but best of luck!
Pretty sure he’s not an actual Samaritan, but he does run a Cub Scout Pack up here, which I thought was pretty cool! Would it surprise you to know that I was a Cub Scout, a Webelos and a Boy Scout? Thought not.
I like to tell people that “kind of” for me is an idiom that amplifies the phrase afterwards. It could be an Iowa-thing.
How did I play? Not that I was keeping track, but, hypothetically, what’s 2 divided by like 17 or 19?
Is this a metaphor? I don’t know, is it?