We’ve been watching the NCAA Tournament lately. Not that we’re basketball fans the rest of the year, but there’s something about the tournament games – the crowd frenzy, the energy of the teams, just the stakes involved for the folks on the floor. I’m not in a pool or anything. The point of watching the games is to enjoy each game, not to pick the final four, two, or one. I’m usually not even cheering on a particular team. Just enjoying its excitement and athleticism.

Watching these guys (sorry, ladies, I haven’t caught any of your games) makes me want to shoot some hoops. I’ve never played competitively, other than against my siblings, but my body tenses up as I watch the games and I mentally berate players for missing “simple” layups or jump shots. I want to be running up and down that court. I want to be passing to my teammate, driving past my opponent, maybe even finding that my legs have been spring-enhanced to allow me to finally dunk.

Tennis doesn’t do it, gymnastics definitely doesn’t do it, and ice skating leaves me cold. Basketball, football, rugby, baseball – I want to jump into the game! The tournament will be over soon, and then baseball will begin, and I’ll suffer through a new kind of wanna-be athleticm through October. I could have caught that ball that just flew over the outfield wall. I could have legged out a bit more on that hit.

Now returning to the reality of life as a software engineer and a mom… otherwise known as a lump with no time.