In My Head

I came home from work and my dorm was empty. Everyone was off campus. The old buildings sat wavering against the fall sky, the ghosts of its inhabitants an after-thought.

I used to come home from school every day and shoot basketball outside for hours on end. I would shoot every shot until I made it twice in a row. On countless occasions, I would make these unbelievable shots that no one ever saw. I would get more satisfaction out of knowing I was the only one who had seen it than I would if the whole neighborhood had come out to watch.

Today as I came home to that empty dorm, I felt compelled to pick up a basketball and play, just like old times. So I did just that.
I'm not as good as I used to be. I used to be able to make 5 three's in a row...three of them nothing but net. Now I shoot and go 2 for 10.

The combination of the secluded outdoor basketball court, the empty campus, and the cool fall weather made me reminisce about those days after school. Those days, I would push myself until it hurt. I had this persistence to out-do any shot I had shot before and I shot until Mom called for dinner.
I want to reclaim that spirit. At this point in my life, I feel like I make a lot of promises to myself that I don't always keep, or do right away. I want to always try to out-do the previous shot. I want to make the full court shot while no one is watching.

Fall puts me back in my place as another day of bronze leaves and temperate skies send comfort through all my senses.