to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy… and to laugh along the way
Despite the passage of years, and the different paths we took, and the diverse views we may have developed through the years, there remain among us that special bond that brought us together during our early teenage years. It is an amazing glue that has kept us close. Even for those who have found a better life for themselves and their families in other countries, there still remained that yearning to reconnect and reminisce those beautiful memories of our high school days.
In May 8, 1970, a beleaguered New York Knicks team was playing in Game 7 of the NBA championship against the star-studded LA Lakers led by a trio of future Hall-of Famers in Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. It had been a tightly-contested NBA Finals, with the Knicks staring at a possible loss following an unfortunate thigh injury to Willis Reed, the Knicks captain and spiritual leader. The Knicks had led the series 3-2 before Reed injured his thigh. Without Reed in Game 6, Chamberlain would wreak havoc in the shaded lane, with monster figures of 45 points and 27 rebounds – both series highs – in a 22-point blowout win over the Knicks.
It’s a long, wonderful process all the way from growing cacao trees to harvesting, fermenting, drying, roasting, winnowing, grinding, (refining, tempering), and molding. And what better way to learn it than to experience the process first-hand in the farm.
Overall, the key factors that will matter most in these last few games in the regular season will be: how the new players (Durant, Irving, Westbrook, etc) integrate into their new teams’ systems; how the injuries (Lebron, Durant, Zion, Towns, etc) affect their teams’ standings at the end of the season; and how other issues (Morant, Wiggins) pan out. We have here a long list of outstanding players. But do they fit in? Will they bring out the best out of the rest of the crew? Are they healthy enough – physically and mentally – for the rigors of the playoffs?
My grandson, Buchi, is turning 4 very soon. How he’s quickly grown from being a cute baby to a luvable toddler to an impish pre-schooler is still a surprise to me. If you ask me, I wish he’d remain that happy, cheerful kiddo whose smile could turn my cloudy days bright oh-so-effortlessly. I wish that I could enjoy his silly antics some more. I wish he’d forever stay the same fun-loving, mischievous tyke with nary a care in the world.
Color My World 