The Basketball Player - Rebounded ❤
Childhood introduces us to many colorful people. They come in all shapes and sizes.
Let's begin back in the late 1980s when Britt's family of 3 sisters and her mother and father moved into a neighborhood with a full-sized basketball court.
The sisters enjoyed all the things children do:
Barbies - Even if playing behind their house to keep from being picked on by the boys later in the day.
Bikes - Jumping them in the woods on the small track created by the kids of the hood.
Playing games such as Bloody Mary, flashlight tag, and more...
Hanging out as a group at the playground. Yes, sitting on the merry-go-round.
Basketball - The heart of Britt's childhood. It taught her the most about herself, human nature, and boundaries.
Britt was one of the few females (her older sister being the other) to step onto the basketball court in her youth amongst the rough and tough boys. Were they all rough and tough? No...but Britt wouldn't discover that until her 20's.
The Basketball Player didn't show interest in Britt in their youth, and if he had, she didn't recognize it as such. Then again, she wasn't much for dating while in school. (especially her basketball buddies). Her youthful goal was to get through school with good grades and move on to something in life she loved and was born to do.
Fast forward to her early twenties when her younger sister moved back into the old hood with her long-term boyfriend. They ended up across the street from The Basketball Players' family home.
One day while saying goodbye to her sister and brother-in-law, The Basketball Player hackled her from across the street like old times. They started chatting and agreed to go fishing that week.
That summer, Britt spent more time fishing with a great friend than anything else. The joy she felt with the nature of their growing connection, laughter, and attraction.
Celebrated Britt's 21st birthday together
They went to NBA basketball games
They went up north and slept on a boat.
Surviving road trips with vastly different music preferences was a hoot/laugh/gas.
Star gazed.
They had many meals out together.
Family gatherings were enjoyed together.
...and more.
One early fall evening Britt and the Basketball Player were watching a movie, and their first kiss came. It was full of passion, desire, and comfort. In the movies, the fella places his hands on the side of her face and pulls the gal into the kiss. It was very much like that. ::Sigh::
After that kiss, distance came. There were fewer moments of one on one hang-out sessions. The self-speculation never makes sense as to why.
Their relationship never left off the ground from kissing. ::Sigh x2::
Over ten years later, there is contact. Thanks to social media. Both had led very different lives from that point. One solo and sprinkled with goodness. The other one was full of growing a family.
There was a meet and greet after so long. Shared stories. Shared laughs like old times. Shared passionate kisses, again like old times. Then once again...nothing. Silence fell weeks following that.
Some would say this relationship was built on over 25 years of history but with little commitment.
What is a rebound, really?
A basketball doesn't make it through the hoop and bounces off the rim multiple times (a breakup). Then the play can be considered a rebound (another alternative option presents itself). That rebound never committed to making points for the game (Britt in this situation). There was solid desire, history, and passion. Yet, the commitment was not there. The outcome of the play was never a sure thing.
One could hang their head and stalk back to the other side of the court or lift it and remind themselves, "That was fun for the moment." then hustle to get back in the game.
That's what Britt did. Both times.
Again, Britt revisits the "don't be a spare tire for anyone.".
Don't take this stuff too seriously.
It's fun and whimsy, and the outcomes vary.
The best part is the feelings you have in those moments.
They're wild, sensational, and enlightening.
