Symbol of the Same

There are a lot of cool things to do in Corvallis, Oregon. Oregon is honestly one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, and many of the people here take advantage of the scenery by hiking or mountain biking. It is also not very far from the coast, so a person could go enjoy a day at the beach if they so desired. It is also a university town, so I imagine there are things to do that state university students like to do, like dance and drink and talk about how much they hate the Ducks. However, I'm not one who likes to go hiking alone, I don't mountain bike, I'm not a huge fan of the beach, I don't drink, and I sure as heck don't dance. So when I had a free afternoon last Friday, I decided to do something a little more up my alley and went to a local park to shoot baskets on their little half of a basketball court. While I was shooting baskets, I thought about shooting baskets, and here's what I decided.

I think people who don't know me very well are always surprised to learn that I like to play basketball. I do get asked if I play chess a lot, however. One day when I was in high school, I went to the locker room to get my basketball shoes to take home, and the school's basketball team was starting to warm up before one of their first practices. When I walked into the locker room, there was a kid in there that I had never even talked to before, and he took a look at me and said, "Man, don't tell me you made the basketball team." Go figure.

In any case, I really do like playing basketball, and as much as I like to play a pick-up game or to play intramurals, there is something nice about just shooting around by yourself. As I continued to bonk the ball off of the rim at the park, I was reminded of all the hours I spent in my driveway back home playing on the goal in front of my house, or how every Wednesday in high school I would go to the church, set up tables for the church dinner, and then spend the rest of the afternoon shooting there.

I think what I appreciate so much about shooting a basketball is that, no matter where you go, it's basically the same. Ten feet of space separate the rim from the ground. That's how it is at the park in Corvallis, as well as in my driveway at home, at my church, or in Ozark's gym. I could go just about anywhere in the world, and if there is a basket and ball, I have something familiar to do. The hoop becomes a symbol of constancy. If I'm in a new place, surrounded by strangers and dropped into an unfamiliar situation, there is something that is indeed the same. And that's reassuring, I think.

Maybe because of that truth, shooting baskets is something I often do when I need some time to think or when I'm upset about something. It gives me something to do while I process my thoughts and emotions. Of course, that doesn't mean that every time you might see me shooting baskets by myself that I'm going through some sort of crisis. Sometimes I might do it just for kicks. But in many ways, shooting baskets is like a little sanctuary; a place of calm in the middle of an ever-changing world.

So I wonder: Do you have some activity like that? Maybe it's playing guitar or reading or crocheting or singing or lifting weights. Anything that you turn to to reassure yourself that, even though many things in life are in continuous flux, there are some things that are always the same. What's your go-to activity? Feel free to share.

You may notice that on the sidebar I now have a little gadget that shows what book I'm working on reading. I always think it's really interesting to hear what other people are reading, and I saw this on Kyle Tapper's blog, so I thought I'd copy him. 

Tomorrow I'm leaving for our high school retreat, which will go through Saturday evening, and then Sunday I will be heading to Salem with our middle school students for a mission trip. So please keep us in your prayers: that God would be working on students and that we would be able to serve effectively, and that God give the other leaders and me the energy that we need. Happy second half of Twenty-Ten.