Dad Entry #181

This morning, I was finally rewarded for the countless school lunches I’ve made several years in a row now. I was at the grocery store, staring with bleary, bloodshot eyes at all the unhealthy but conveniently packaged and portioned lunchbox fillers, when something caught my eye. I might never have noticed this heavenly something if I didn’t buy shitty, processed, preservative-laden crap for my precious children (never mind that I end up binging on it myself). Anyway, I squinted and did a double-take, and it was not a mirage. Thank God for the cracker and cookie aisle! There – I mean like right at my fingertips! – was a package of Oreos ‘Mega Stuf!’ More crème than ‘Double Stuf!’ More crème than EVER!

Coaching girls basketball has been extraordinary. That’s a strong word, but something like ‘memorable’ or ‘a lot of fun’ won’t do. The girls are 1st and 2nd graders, which means, yes, they are a bit like a flock of kittens. Smiley, bouncy, very cute, and a little clumsy one moment but then impressively lithe and athletic the next. Basketball, in my opinion, benefits from a smaller ‘field’ and less interruptions than other team sports. There’s a palpable flow that borders on the metaphysical for me. My playing days are mostly ancient history, so I’m thrilled to sense and absorb this energy as a courtside coach (a little different than a fan or armchair coach). I’m the assistant for Michael’s team, and I love that too, but there’s an earnestness, a focus that the girls bring that I don’t see in the boys right now. The boys, as 5th graders, think that nonchalance and coolness should be mastered above all else. Or so it seems. They prance around and waste time shooting half-court shots when they still can’t make five lay-ups in a row. I think it's a phase. I bark at them, and later bemoan, to Michael, the striking contrasts I see between his team and Megan’s. Michael bluntly notes that his team would whip my girls if they played each other. I feel like smacking him.