BALL IN THE PROJECTS
My wife has recently rediscovered her love for shooting hoops. She has a friend in the ‘burbs who lives near a basketball court, and last week she stopped by on her way home from a visit to shoot some baskets. Two hours later, she finally headed home, and when I got home from work that night, she shared with me just how fun it was and how we simply must play some b’ball this weekend.
So we decided to walk to the nearest courts in our neighborhood, which happen to be in the housing projects three blocks from our house. Even though I’ve been on this campus a number of times for work, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy, partly because my wife and I stuck out and partly because I was hesitant to put my wallet and cell phone on the ground out in the open.
The uneasiness left somewhat as Amy and I started to exchange shots. We had a hoop to ourselves, while three other half-court games raged on. A couple of young kids came by and asked if they could shoot around with us. One challenged me to a game, so I took him on . . . and won, 7-5. (Did I mention he was 10?)
As we walked home, we lamented a little at the juxtaposition between the skyrocketing real estate in our neighborhood and the decrepit conditions of the housing stock in and around the projects. We felt a little guilty to have possession of a shiny new ball, a Christmas gift from my wife’s parents this past year. And I was a little down on myself for not feeling as at ease as I thought I ought to have. We continued our dialogue in the kitchen as we cooled down, stretched, and rehydrated. We talked about our respective work experiences, about the problems of race and economics in our country, and about what could be done to make things better.
My wife succinctly summarized the fun excursion and our ensuing discussion in the kitchen: “When I shoot hoops in the suburbs, it doesn’t make me think of important socio-economic issues in this country.” And I think that’s yet another reason why I prefer cities to suburbs, and why I love my wife.
My wife has recently rediscovered her love for shooting hoops. She has a friend in the ‘burbs who lives near a basketball court, and last week she stopped by on her way home from a visit to shoot some baskets. Two hours later, she finally headed home, and when I got home from work that night, she shared with me just how fun it was and how we simply must play some b’ball this weekend.
So we decided to walk to the nearest courts in our neighborhood, which happen to be in the housing projects three blocks from our house. Even though I’ve been on this campus a number of times for work, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy, partly because my wife and I stuck out and partly because I was hesitant to put my wallet and cell phone on the ground out in the open.
The uneasiness left somewhat as Amy and I started to exchange shots. We had a hoop to ourselves, while three other half-court games raged on. A couple of young kids came by and asked if they could shoot around with us. One challenged me to a game, so I took him on . . . and won, 7-5. (Did I mention he was 10?)
As we walked home, we lamented a little at the juxtaposition between the skyrocketing real estate in our neighborhood and the decrepit conditions of the housing stock in and around the projects. We felt a little guilty to have possession of a shiny new ball, a Christmas gift from my wife’s parents this past year. And I was a little down on myself for not feeling as at ease as I thought I ought to have. We continued our dialogue in the kitchen as we cooled down, stretched, and rehydrated. We talked about our respective work experiences, about the problems of race and economics in our country, and about what could be done to make things better.
My wife succinctly summarized the fun excursion and our ensuing discussion in the kitchen: “When I shoot hoops in the suburbs, it doesn’t make me think of important socio-economic issues in this country.” And I think that’s yet another reason why I prefer cities to suburbs, and why I love my wife.
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