...about taking risks

it turns out that i have muscles that i didn't know existed. they all hurt. i went to a boxing class on wednesday evening and then played basketball for two days in a row. even though i desperately need a massage therapist, it's all good. you have to love that muscles burning feeling, knowing that you have done something your body needs.

the basketball thing is pretty new. twenty years ago (ouch, that hurt, how old do i feel!) i played basketball on my grade 9 girls team. i'm thinking the team wasn't too hard to make because i am certainly no star. i could hold my own on the court, mostly getting rebounds and then passing the ball to the girls who could consistently get the "swish".

today i played on the staff team against the championship winning boys team. i'm all for teachers going out and making fools of themselves, showing kids that taking risks is something we all do. i ask them to take risks all the time in english class. i make them share their opinions, write poetry even if they think it isn't a strength, i challenge them to try new things. it is harder as we get older to take those risks.

it's a good thing that i don't mind making a fool of myself because the skills i may have had when i was 14 seem to have vanished. i dribbled a few times, made a few passes, missed a few passes and accidentally took the ball from one of my own players. still, my students cheered and chanted for me. our team lost by a few points, but i think there was far more gained in the game than what showed on the scoreboard. i'm hoping the students noticed that i was a good sport. i'm hoping the girls noticed that there is a place for them on the court if they choose. i'm hoping that this spurs me on to take risks in other areas of my life. i'm hoping there is a beginners basketball league on this little island because i had so much fun over the last couple of days.