So, the other day, I was finally tackling the garage. It was a mess, stuff piled up everywhere from years back. I just started pulling things down, trying to make some sense of it all.
Underneath a stack of old newspapers, I found this small, deflated basketball. Not even a proper one, more like a kid’s toy version. I picked it up, remembering when I bought it. My daughter was tiny then, barely walking. We used to roll it back and forth in the hallway. She wasn’t really into it, more interested in the box it came in, you know how kids are.
Holding that little ball, it felt strange. Heavy, somehow. My mind just went straight to Kobe and Gigi. Seeing them courtside, him explaining things to her. That look on her face, soaking it all in. It wasn’t just about basketball, was it? It was that connection. Sharing something you love.
It got me thinking. Like, really thinking. About all the times I said I was too busy. Work stuff, house stuff, just tired. Always something. You think you have all the time in the world, but you really don’t. It slips away so fast. One minute you’re rolling a ball down the hall, the next they’re teenagers who barely talk to you.
What I Did Next
It sounds simple, maybe silly, but I stopped cleaning right then. Left the garage door open and the mess halfway sorted.
- I went inside and found the air pump we use for bike tires.
- Took that little basketball and pumped it up. It still held air, surprisingly.
- Then I just went looking for my daughter. She was doing homework, headphones on.
I didn’t say much. Just tossed the ball gently onto her lap. She looked up, surprised. Pulled off her headphones. I just said, “Fancy a game of catch? Like, right now?”
And we did. Not for long, maybe ten minutes out in the yard. It was awkward at first. We dropped the ball a lot. But then we started laughing. It felt… important. More important than cleaning the garage, anyway.
That’s all. Just that. Sometimes you just gotta stop what you’re doing and grab the moment, you know? Pump up the old basketball. Make the time. That’s what stuck with me.
