what 70 degrees used to mean

In days of youthful legs, easy schedules and nearby friends, 70 degrees used to mean one thing: time for basketball. Looking back, I've played pickup ball in a lot of different places with a lot of different people. I used to think nothing of playing for 2 or 3 hours. There were moments of glory, thinking I was "in the zone" or maybe even that I was the best player on the court. These times were of course mixed in with brutal performances, frustrating failures and humbling reality-checks.

One time it occurred to me that I ought to consider something. Every time I played basketball, regardless of whether I won or lost, played well or sucked, I was getting great exercise. While this didn't always occur to me after getting schooled by better players, it nonetheless remains true. I think it's one of the things that's become increasingly apparent to me in the past few years. Frequent basketball playing keeps a person in shape.

Which brings me to the present: not in shape. Not nearly enough basketball. That's it, I'm calling my brother to shoot hoops...