Tall but awkward, I have always loved playing basketball. One problem out of many: I have to look down at the ball as I dribble. There’s no looking up. In an Air Force game against a rival squadron, I was playing defense out near half-court when I somehow managed to intercept an errant pass. The crowd and I were stunned. Uh-oh, that meant I had to lead a fast break. Dribbling toward the opponent’s hoop, unopposed, I grabbed the ball with both hands and looked up, about to go into my lay-up. I was in the lobby.
Jim DeFilippi served in the Air Force during the Vietnam Conflict and taught public school in Vermont for thirty years. His books are available at www.amazon.com/author/jimdefilippi. Jim is a Five Minutes Founding Contributor, and will be reading with Five Minutes and Molecule at the Salem Literary Festival in Massachusetts in September.