Here's one of the best things about basketball; It clears your mind. If you're in a good, competitive game, your mind is 100% focused on what you're doing. There's no time for problems or worries or regrets of any kind. You're in the moment. Really this applies to any activity that you are passionate about or enjoy. In fact, I would argue that the reason people enjoy a given activity or hobby really has nothing to do with that activity or hobby. It has to do with the fact that the activity involves all of their attention and that clear state of mind, focused intently on what one is doing, allows a person to truly be happy and enjoy being alive.
The thinking mind gets in the way of everything. Most people don't really "experience" life, they just experience what is going on their head at any given moment. That's why life often feels heavy or more commonly, boring. The minute your attention is pulled out of your inner dialogue and fully into the experience around you in the present moment...POOF...you're happy! At those times you are truly awake and truly alive. That's why you love that activity so much, and b-ball is most definitely one of those activities for me. Of course, ideally we would learn to live like that all of the time and in every activity. That's what Zen is all about.
Now if you're just out shooting around all by yourself, the opposite may be true. That may be a time when you are thinking about everything, trying to figure things out or solve some particular problem. There's nothing wrong with that in my opinion, it's just not as beneficial of a state as the fully "here and now" state mentioned above. I know I've worked all kinds of things out in my head while shooting hoops solo. That can be relaxing too.
Until next time...
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