\u2666\u00a0\u00a0 \u2666\u00a0 \u2666<\/p>\n
The other night \u2014 last Thursday, actually \u2014 I was in the gym working up a sweat and burning off some ideas<\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n Yeah, strange to say… I know.\u00a0 “Isn’t it calories,” you ask, “you’re supposed to be burning along with the sweat?”<\/p>\n Guess so… but, I don’t hit the hardwood with a basketball\u00a0with the intention of caring about calories. I don’t\u00a0 count ’em.\u00a0 My body just knows it needs to sweat, and I do it very well once I’m in the humid gymnasium at our local fitness club.<\/p>\n So, there I was,\u00a020 minutes into my routine of 3-point shooting, running to the basket to get my shot (or missed shot\u00a0\u2014 more of the former, though) :), and letting all the mental energy I’d corked up throughout the day escape my noggin.<\/p>\n NOTE<\/strong><\/span>: If you, like me, have millions of ideas and business possibilities \/ To-Dos running through your brain, you really should try shooting hoops by yourself sometime, in a hot, sweaty gym.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n And, out of nowhere, comes some wanna-be Mike Tyson, with this iPod earphones in place, shadow-boxing his way to the speedbag. That’s fine, as I too often\u00a0like punching the crap out of it.<\/p>\n But\u00a0two minutes\u00a0later, he leaves the speedbag for the rack of basketballs.<\/p>\n And suddenly, he starts\u00a0foot-dancing around one like he’s David Beckham or something.\u00a0<\/p>\n So, while I’m shooting around, I’m wondering how long this guy across the court\u00a0is gonna move\u00a0a basketball around with his feet… and then it happened:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Whaaaaam!”<\/p>\n The ball goes flying into the wall, kicked by the Bozo who thinks he’s in the final seconds of a World Cup match or something.<\/p>\n I go fetch my own rebound, look at him and wonder:<\/p>\n Does this nut not get what the difference is between a soccer ball\u00a0and a basketball?!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n I’m thinking it was a one-time occurrence\u00a0when again, “Whaaaaam! Smack!”<\/p>\n I’m sorta getting peeved about this time, and then I hear the voice…<\/p>\n It’s my big voice, or what Heather likes to affectionately call “Bigger Barry” \u2014 that inner voice we all have, if we\u00a0are just willing to hear it, regardless of what it says or asks.<\/p>\n It says: “Man, you know that pisses you off. It should. He couldn’t care less what his foot does to deflate or warp the ball, or\u00a0how to respect it with\u00a0the proper use. Go say something.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n So, the question is<\/span>: When you know something isn’t right, or you feel like somebody around you is doing an idiotic thing, “What Would You Do?”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n That’s exactly the question ABC’s John Qui\u00f1ones has been asking lately (but more on that in a second).<\/p>\n Maybe, unlike me, you didn’t play organized basketball. So,\u00a0maybe a guy super-booting one around\u00a0the gym wouldn’t get you all worked up.<\/p>\n However, when something of idiocy does\u00a0hit close to home for you; when you’re in a position to express your inner-voice OUTWARD towards somebody who’s doing or saying something foolish or senseless… do you?<\/p>\n It’s an important question to ask yourself<\/strong><\/span> and answer with honesty, as having the ability to gently confront<\/span>, incite honest reflection<\/span>, and throw out raw\u00a0perspective<\/span> when needed is often the difference between lethargic, unfulfilled wishes…\u00a0and living authentically, without regret.<\/p>\n Heather and I know plenty of so-called students of higher-learning<\/em> who make it their focused quest to avoid anything ‘unplesant’, or retreat from any experience that is less than ‘feel-good’ or ‘uplifting.’<\/p>\n Yet, what these folks are missing is that life operates in CONTRASTS<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Life is basically saying: “Hey, yoooooooooooo, come on already… if you choose to see ONLY what you\u00a0WANT to see, you miss the point of all this.”<\/p>\n It’s this very flawed, and dangerous, belief <\/span>— that they MUST evolve to a detached, emotionless state about something they want to change or don’t like — that causes them to feel UNEVOLVED if they confront it \u2014 i.e., get angry, express dissatisfaction, or rant about something or someone who they oppose or disagree with.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n So… while to many, I know, a guy super-booting a basketball against the wall wouldn’t cause them to take a second look… I also know that\u00a0there’s\u00a0plenty more people out there (maybe you?) who would want to say something, but never could — due to a lot of reasons.<\/p>\n But, the ol’\u00a0adage of “Its not what you say, but how you say it” often helps you move from fearful hesitancy to confident action.<\/p>\n In my case, I simply walked over and said, “Hey, you do know that’s not a soccer ball, right?”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n “Yeah, I know.”<\/p>\n “Great, so being that it’s a basketball, and not designed to be kicked, please quit kicking it.”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n “What does it matter? The staff here don’t care if I kick it.”<\/p>\n “It matters because it matters to me. Respect the ball for what it is.\u00a0 You down with that?”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n “Mummmmble… yeaaaah…” He walks away and starts punching the speedbag again.<\/p>\n Anyway, this little minor expression of my values is what reminded me of this show we started watching about\u00a0three weeks ago.<\/p>\n Here’s one of the first episodes, found on YouTube:<\/p>\n