On June, 18, 2019, I spent 21 hours making 3000 3-point baskets to raise money for Parkinson’s Si Buko Uganda, a non-profit creating awareness and serving local community needs. This video provides highlights of the effort.
Basketball Therapy & Self-Discovery
The words below convey how it feels when I’m playin’ ball.
For me, it’s about love.
As life’s expanse slowly narrows, I do more of the things I love and less of the things I don’t.
Exercising my Love for Playing
I love to play; some call this exercise.
Exercise must be this, they say. Exercise must be that.
Here are the [insert #] things any Parkinson’s exercise program must include…
That’s how it’s told. That’s what we’re sold.
Their intentions are good; their rules seem sensible. The problem with rules, though, one of them anyway, is rules can also be limits.
I guess I just prefer my own rules.
My Rules:
Do stuff I love.
I could separate my actions into one of two categories:
a) Doing stuff I love
or
b) Doing stuff that limits
If I have to time it or count it, so that I know when to stop doing it, I probably don’t love it.
Love it or Leave it,
Love is accompanied by passion. Passion is intensity, plus the contents of our soul – our essence.
‘Intensity’ is that magic word synonymous with slowing disease progression. Passion is intensity on steroids. Intensity without passion, without love, is missed opportunity.
I traded mind for heart; traded fear and desire for love; traded limits for infinite.
So what are the results? What does my research show?
Shows I feel pretty damn good. Shows I’m happy.
Did I noticeably slow PD progression?
I’ve chosen to do what I love and am completely at peace with outcomes. I don’t train with the goal of slowing the progression of Parkinson’s anymore. I train/play with a goal of accelerating the progression of Gavin. If that happens to slow down Parkinson’s in so doing, cool.
This shift allows for consideration of numerous other factors. Our PD, our priorities. With Parkinson’s, I can play perpetual defense. Alternatively, I can stay on offense, call my own plays, and move forward.
Skillful adaptation gets me to the same place as slowing the progression, at least so far.
Self-Discovery?
What lies within, the contents of the soul, cannot be measured.
Not only are answers to life’s questions found within, we may find the treasure we perpetually seek has been hiding in a place so close it cannot be seen – only felt.
For me, it’s about love, the foundation for everything, especially playing.
I love how that feels.
Oh, come on, hippie. This is just some dude playing a ridiculous amount of basketball.
Yeah, exactly.