Back to Basics

It's a Thursday night and a bunch of people are going to the Essen Haus. Others are pulling me to not-so-nice bars. I decided instead to play some basketball at the serf (Thursday nights it's open until 1am). As I'm walking down state street at 11PM, I realize how funny I look carrying a gym bag as drunken people are wearing their best outfits strolling down the street to their next drink. I felt very weird, but I kept going anyways. I started to think that I must be the only one after weeks of midterms to be wanting to play basketball at midnight on a Thursday. I finally make it to the serf, praying that there will be nine other people on the courts so that I could at least play a game or two. I walk into the locker room and ask for a ball.
Dude at the counter - "Sorry, but we're all out."
ME - "Like they're all taken?"
Dude at the counter - "Yeah. All the balls are checked out. Late-night Thursdays are pretty popular nights for basketball."
ME - "Yeah, I guess they are."
I had to wait a good 20 minutes to get into a game. It felt good just to get on the courts, get some boards, shoot a couple threes, and everything else I haven't had the priviledge of doing for the last 6 months.

Looking back at life in Lakeshore, I remember my floor freshman year. Every Thursday almost half the floor would go to late night thursdays to play ball. It was unheard of to go out on a Thursday. Why would anyone, when there was so much else to do? Then I moved to the other side of campus and wow is that philosophy not followed. I realize now that I just have to know what I want and do it; no regrets. I used to have this mentality, but sometime last year when I moved away from Lakeshore, I seemed to have lost it. I guess sometimes I don't realize I have something good until I lose it.