Sunday, May 12, 2024

Basketball: Coaching Life Lessons with Help from Ann Lamott

"I learned early in life that the margins are small. You have to play hard. This is what it takes." - Brian Scalabrine (Celtics television analyst)

Art reflects life, as does basketball. Ann Lamott writes (her best may be Bird by Bird), lectures, and teaches writing. Here are quotes from her TED talk:

Her grandson often says, "Nana, this could be the best day ever." 

"My friend Paul in his 70's used to say, "I feel like a young man with something really wrong with him.""

1. All truth is a paradox. "Life is filled with heartbreaking sweetness and beauty, desperate poverty, floods...and acne...and Mozart." 

2. "Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes...including you."

3. "We can't arrange peace or lasting improvement for the people we love...help is the sunny side of control."

4. "Everyone is screwed up. Try not to compare your insides to other people's outsides...by the end I was deteriorating faster than I could lower my standards."

5. ...but they keep their butt in the chair



6. "If people wanted you to write about them more warmly, they should have behaved better." 

7. "It's a miracle to get your stories published."

8. "Writing heals..."

9."Food. Try to do a little better. I think you know what I mean."

10."Grace is spiritual WD-40."

11."Go outside. Look up." (Not at eclipses...)

12. 


Lagniappe. Outside work translates to the post and vice versa. 

Lagniappe. 2. Find inspiration.  

Lagniappe 3. Full-court shooting drill. 

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