ICYMI: The podcast will return as a Substack exclusive on Tuesday, but I couldn’t help but put out an episode early about The Year of Less.
I was never a great basketball player.
But I didn’t always know that, because I was 5’10” in middle school and my height made me as much of an asset as my profound lack of coordination made me a liability. I could nab most any rebound simply by being in the right place (5-9” above my peers) at the right time (when the ball came directly to me).
What our team lacked in talent, we made up for in hustle. We’d leap for every rebound, chase down every loose ball like a pack of deranged dogs wearing body glitter and Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar.
“SAME TEAM! SAME TEAM!” our coach would bark from the sidelines, and we’d look up to see that we were attempting to wrestle the ball away from a girl wearing a matching jersey and friendship bracelet.
Oops.