Smushing play-doh. An elephant’s foot. broad at the base and flat on the earth. Grounded. Soft. Malleable. Soft… again. My arches are so tight – the sinewing bone that runs along the centre of my foot.
I used to eat play-doh – it was salty and had a good texture – like mashed potatoes or cookie dough. My right foot felt like a bundled up or rolled up ball of play-doh and then when I placed it on the ground – I could see that the ball had been smushed down by my thumb. Filling all the gaps between my arch and the floor. I hadn’t thought much about my hips and back and legs before but I’m pretty sure they felt better after – no twinging pain – no stiffness.
I played basketball last night for the first time in about 16/17 years. It was awesome. I had the whole community centre gym to myself. It’s amazing how our bodies remember so much – my skills pretty much came back to me – all muscle memory – my brain was not the leader. For those who don’t believe in somatics – maybe using the term “muscle memory” would help – as it’s more relatable.
I felt like a baller. I was rusty for sure – but I made about half of the shots I took, worked up a sweat, and even did some pump fakes.
I felt confident and like a badass – pretending I was a millionaire in this gym all to myself.
“Swoosh! Nothing but net, baby.”
“Fade away jumpers.”
“Finish on a good one.”
All of these sayings my Dad would repeat over and over. I started talking to him on the court – think he’d be proud that I’ve still got it. Shooting around. Dribble dribble. Blah.
where rivers are born 