The Tragedy Of Basketball (2018 Version)

I wrote a classic poem for Creative Writing class in 2003 my last semester of high school called The Tragedy of Basketball and it was in my anthology and very unwisely read for talent night one year at church this poem incorporates the more recent teams and athletes that you have read and heard about more recently if you have paid even remote attention to NBA and college basketball you will recognize everybody or close to everybody's name in here. So without further adieu here is the 2018 tragedy of basketball:
The Tragedy of Basketball
By I. Jimmy Bott
The tragedy of basketball is that you can never miss a post or a game without feeling lame
So people have never seen Kris Jenkins's buzzer beating three in the NCAA Finals
Or Steph Curry's buzzer beating three to beat Oklahoma City unless they have
Seen the highlights or the posts or the game to have seen it
The tragedy of basketball
Is that Jason Collin's coming out and not scoring a point after doesn't get as much ink
For his courage as Kobe Bryant's non-playoff final season of failure and epic underperformance
Hurting a team for trying to play way past his expiration date just to get a record
The tragedy of basketball
Is that some people who have more privilege get more ink
For being good while the people who are marginal players often get
Lost in the public eye
These legends:
The University of Connecticut team won 111 straight games and lost in the semi-finals of the Women's basketball finals only to win all the games the next year heading into the semi-finals
Both of the games decided by buzzer-beaters and the game after that the team on the opposite side of the bracket losing again by a buzzer-beater after winning it all the year before
And an international born player played a few seasons before turning pro only to sit out
Two seasons in a row and not play half a season until his 4th year where his potential was
Realized as he got a place in the All-Star Game and the playoffs
Unfortunately these legends are not legends they are facts
Oh happy tragedy of basketball
The biggest tragedy is that one-and-done players are often ill-prepared for the NBA
And sometimes phase out and bust before they get a solid team to play on
While the Junior and Senior players often make it through teams with accolades but
Don't necessarily start off as quickly or even get drafted high
The tragedy is that a league that devalues going to school is requiring players to play
A season and hardly ever attend class just to get a ticket in the pros that seems promising
And often flame out at the end
The players who mimic Lebron James get called for palming the ball first
And traveling later
Showing much hesitation and fear and desperate measures
See how they are not prepared for prime time as this new king of this wonderful sport:
Ben Simmons who will do things someday that will take what Lebron has done seem
Like it will sink into oblivion like the sun in Korea
If he ever develops a jump shot that is the fact that he doesn't have one and will still win Rookie Of The Year is merely another tragedy in a game full of them- IJB

A Star Turn That Was Always There

When I graduated last Fall I had an idea of a plan: Partners In Policymaking, committees, Council Vice-Chair, advocacy, internship with Special Olympics, reading, writing, and continuing to get everything in order in the Spring to be in a solid plan for my own strength and excitement as well as my own ideas of what I want to do: movies weekly, hiking often, music often, and my own sleep schedule being more solid. It was a dream and most of it happened. I also wanted to get my consumption of caffeine to human levels and keep my alcohol consumption to a reasonable amount and that has mostly been the case too. I have been kind of idealistic in how things happen and it has often been the case. I am constantly with friends and made some new ones this has been a solid lesson on how to treat others and ended with respect.

I guess there are lessons in this: I don't give myself enough credit. It is something I am working on and while I thought depression and anxiety would be rampant around graduation from college it has been the opposite. My depression has been so low that I am often told that I am happy and that I am a genuine, sweet, kind human. We can argue if that is the case but even though I am done with school and have a huge void of that I am filling it with so much more that my health is the healthiest of the mentals and I have continued to use medical maintenance to my fullest advantage of life and use the majority of my extra money on it while continuing to benefit to where the cost is so much less than the actual benefit even though I am spending time and money on it. I am appreciative of the changes and am probably the healthiest and happiest I have ever been.

In some ways that star turn was already there. My continual impression of what I am able to do has increased greatly and I am further passionate and dedicated to making my life better with short-lived kicks on Ketones and Shakeology. Rather than that working due to the cost and the benefits not being worth the cost, I have done Essential Oils, Acupuncture, Massage, and Chiropractor combo. It has worked great and even though I am doing chiropractor less starting July 1st I am continuing to do them all and get more Vitamin D from the sun. I am so grateful for the outdoors and am lucky to be doing more things than I wanted and listening to the still small voice and my gut when something doesn't feel right.

I guess my lessons have been many the past few years. As of June 3rd it will be 18 months since I kicked my ex-roommate out due to less than ideal situations that were abusive and it will be 15 months living in an apartment on 15th. While the safety there is sometimes sub-par I only have to do with myself and I and me while at the other one I stayed in my room most of the last several months due to safety concerns with my roommate. I have been better at advocacy and have been better learning about safety and what to do when I am stuck. It is nice that my best friend is close by but if it happens after she moves I can call my Mom anytime and I call perhaps stay somewhere with a friend. I am hopeful that people understand that I am in a better spot and while I will move next year I am also trying to be thankful at this point that I am at my funky apartment and that I have lots going for me here including the best downtown Fan Club I can get anywhere. So while I have yet to consider what the future holds much of this was in place last Fall it is a star turn that was already there I just have to continue turning the corner and the page.