For the love of the game

There is an old saying that goes, "you never appreciate what you have, until you loose it". Well, the phrase goes something like that, anyway, I know exactly what it means. These days, I feel like an animal trapped in a small cage. I need more basketball!  Before I left for Spain, I was playing some of the best basketball of my life.  That last month before leaving, I was playing 3 or 4 times a week, and things were really clicking. I figured that upon my arrival to Spain, I would pick up right where I left off. Well I sure was wrong about that. It is dam near impossible to find a public basketball court, where you can just play for free, no reservations, just basketball. Right now, I am playing just once a week, every Tuesday. I have found this to be very hard for several reasons. First, for me a basketball court represents freedom. I don't know what it is, but just the simple act of dribbling a basketball makes me feel good. Running, jumping, dribbling, shooting, I can't really say what it is, but there is something about the sport that I love. Like I mentioned, I feel trapped these days because of the lack of basketball currently in my life. Maybe I am just spoiled, I don't know. I am used to being able to play whenever, wherever, with no questions. It has been really hard for me to adjust to being limited to playing once a week. Not only that, but it is hard to play just once a week. Basketball is about rhythm, consistency, and practice. After going one week without playing, it takes time to adjust. It's a terrible feeling, that first shot you take after not shooting for a while. Shooting a basketball should feel comfortable, second nature. When you go a week between playing, nothing feels right. Not just that, but my stamina is not where it normally would be which makes it hard to stay focused and motivated. Well, enough complaining, things could be worse. With that said, I have found that it is true, you don't know what you've got until it's gone, and for me, that is basketball.