I’m watching my 23 month old niece all day this Friday by myself and honestly, I’m a bit nervous.

I love spending time with Ava, but other than a couple of hours when she was much younger, I haven’t been left alone with her. Even that time, I checked and made sure my neighbor (she has two kids) was going to be home, just in case.

That means if Ava gets upset, hungry, frustrated, needs to use the restroom, needs her diaper changed if she didn’t make it to the restroom, or has any other issue little kids have, there is always someone with more experience around to help.

At the end of the day, there is never any pressure on “silly Uncle” (her words, not mine) to do anything but PLAY and have FUN!

I like it that way.

By the way, I have no kids.

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Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I dislike kids at all. In fact, I tend to think of Ava as I would my own. She has her own room in my house that sits empty, waiting to be decorated when she is old enough to pick out furniture. I made sure her room has a nice walk in closet so that she can store all of her “uncle and auntie” clothing and shoes that she piles up along the way.

I like kids…or rather I love Ava.

My issue, my sense of nervousness comes from the fact that I DON’T FEEL PREPARED!

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I like to be prepared. Scratch that, I LOVE to be prepared.

I like going to the court for hours and hoisting shot after shot. I like dribbling behind my back until it becomes second nature. I like taking on one opponent after the other and dissecting their games. My opponent’s tricks, or go to moves are truly the wealth gained on my end from our battles.

I enjoy all of the burn that goes into the preparation of my eventual match-up with the great one, Michael Jordan.

After all, the late John Wooden said it best:

“Failing to Prepare, is preparing to FAIL.”

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How can I possibly prepare for this Friday with my energetic, always happy, 33-inch tall niece??

I can’t.

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You Can’t Always Be Prepared

As much as I’d like to control things, the truth is, I can’t always be prepared.

Some things, like watching Ava, I’ve just got to put everything I’ve got into it and do my best.

The rational side of me knows that people young and old are having and watching kids every day and they figure it out, so it can’t be all that difficult.

Life and success is kind of the same way!

People young and old are figuring it out each and every day. To the millionaire it’s easy to make money. To the mother and father, it’s not a big deal to watch a youngster for a day. To the pro-blogger, growing subscribers is second nature.

Just as there are “how to” raise a child books, there are how to make money, how to get subscribers, and the list goes on, but YOU CAN NEVER TRULY UNDERSTAND what it takes until you make the decision to DO.

You can read all the books and manuals you’d like, but you’ll never truly be prepared.

The trick is to turn that nervous energy into excitement and productive positivity and set the world ablaze!

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Me and Ava

So this Friday, while my bro and his wife are cruising through some Caribbean locale, enjoying the sun, tropical fruit, and waves, Ava and I will be shutting down the town!

“Silly Uncle” may not be the most prepared, but like all things I do, I will give MY ALL!

Watch out, this guy is about to show a 23-month old what Michael Jordan was all about! Ok, ok, so maybe we won’t spend the whoooole day watching MJ videos, backtracked with her favorite artist Justin Bieber, but with her being 23-months old and Jordan being the reason 23 even exists, we’ve got to at least watch, “Come Fly With Me”!

I kid, I kid.

GET OUT THERE AND DO!!!

Oh, and if you happen to be around Central Florida, stop by. I’m about to be the Michael Jordan of “silly Uncles.”

Two Sunday afternoons ago, just a couple of days after being dominated by Robert Brown, I hurt my back as I attempted to show my brother how high I could jump.

Following numerous games of one-on-one between myself, my bro and a friend, I let pride and FACT take over.

My brother had taken a series of pictures of me and my friend playing against one another.   In each of the photos, both of us were not more than a few inches off of the ground at what he said were the “peaks” of our jumps.

Now, I will never be known by my jumping ability, but these pictures were ridiculous.   I felt like when the Magic brought in Dwight Howard for his pre-draft workout and “mis-measured” his jumping ability, prompting Dwight to barely jump and say at the same time, “they said I was right here” and touch the previously incorrect mark.  Funny stuff for sure! (click here to watch the video.  Go to 1:56 for the fun to begin.)

So I, like Dwight had done years before with the Magic, had to show my bro just how off his photos actually were.

Owww That Hurts!

Three jumps in and I felt a twinge in the right side of my back.

I woke up the next day and could barely get out of bed.

The Back History

Around 12 or 13 years ago I hurt my back when I slipped on a wet spot in a gym, going up for a lay-in.   Since that point, there have been a handful of times where I move the wrong way on the court and my back freezes up on me.

Add that to the fact that I have some scoliosis going on and well, my back was never made as one might find in an anatomy book.   No big deal, it’s what I’ve had my whole life.  I used to joke that had I not had scoliosis I would have been 6’6” like Jordan.

I saw the chiropractors and the massage therapists and nothing ever really seemed to help long term.  Rest was always the cure.

Not Too Concerned (I Can’t REST Now!)

So with that history, I wasn’t all that concerned even though pulling myself out of bed Monday morning was a struggle.   I had been through this all before.

Besides, how was I going to rest?  Mike Jordan wouldn’t rest!  I needed to work on my game!

By the evening, with the help of some Advil, I was loose enough I wasn’t going to let it stop me from getting my run in.   I ran my four miles, came home and relaxed and woke up Tuesday morning feeling the same way.  Stiff!

On Tuesday evening I decided not to play the normal half court games and instead work more on my one-on-one game with my brother.  It started off ok, then six points in, I could barely move.  It hurt to breathe.  I tried to push through, but was forced to stop.  My back was now worse than it had been!

My body had been telling me to slow down, but I didn’t listen, so my back said ENOUGH and slowed me down itself.

w-REST-ling with Rest

So for the last week I’ve been wrestling with resting to say the least.  Incapable of moving laterally, I have bit down and listened to my body.  I stopped all physical activity.  It hasn’t been easy though.

This past Saturday I was very close to going back out on the court to get some shots in, but after discussing with a few people, refrained.

A Health-y Appreciation

It’s sad that it seems to always take an injury for me to fully appreciate the part of me that is injured.

I suppose most people go through life the same way.   We run, jump, run faster and jump higher and think nothing of it until a sickness or injury halts our movement.  Then we WISH we could just run and jump, even a little.

I feel like I’m being hit over the head lately with making the most of each moment.   This injury, like my brother calling me out, has me so anxious to get out and make the most of each day.

I really can’t wait to get back on the court!

If You’re Healthy And You Know It Clap Your Hands!

Hanging out with my 19 month old niece lately has put a lot of those children songs in my head.

Beyond the songs, hanging out with a little kid who has only been running for a handful of months, and is still trying to figure out how to make her body do exactly what she wants it to do, can give unbridled perspective.

When she runs through my house, she runs all out.  She doesn’t hold back.  She doesn’t get tired.  She doesn’t want to be held.  She wants to RUUUUUUN!

A child appreciates everything because every single thing they are doing is so new.  It’s freedom.  It’s expression.  It’s fun.

Thirty three years of life can wear away at that.  Let’s be honest, it doesn’t even take that long.

Get Out And Move!

The point is, if you can get out and run today, do it.  A lot of people can’t.

If you can jump.  Get out from behind your desk right now and Jump!

If you can play basketball.  Go play!

There will always be time to clean the house and wash the clothes.  Always time to do some more work and make more money.   Always a reason NOT to take time to fully appreciate the gifts we’ve been given.

There WILL come a point in your life where you WON’T be able.

Don’t wait until then to “wish you could”.

GET OUT AND MOVE!

Note:  Below is a picture of the jump that hurt my back, but proof I can jump a little higher than a couple of inches.

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