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The best parallel I can think of is microwaving popcorn - the nearer it gets to perfection, the longer the spaces between pops. If you let it happen, a rhythmic hush should creep in like fog. The ball mimics the wind and hardens with cold, and so you don’t need to speak of them. It is too easy to mention the obvious things around you, to try to connect with one another that way.
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You can play through these stages, but not without great effort. You will be talking about why the ball went this way or that way, or complaining that your hands are turning to stone from the cold. You see, all these external things will allow you to distract yourself from focusing. When you begin though, it’s easiest if the weather is pleasant. Those masters are still patiently waiting, as if time hung with the ball. There is of course the story of the hurricane and the ball that never came down. To the great masters, outside conditions don’t matter. The master catches the ball and looks to the empty-handed journeyman and remarks, “You’re quick today.” The journeyman sails an errant pass far behind the master, and the ball lands at the feet of a casual passerby, who then politely tosses it back to the master. The great masters of the game simply don’t notice outside entities at all.Ī famous story among the catch culture involves two players, a master and a journeyman. The fact that I am writing this paragraph should tell you that I still have much to learn. Of course, they haven’t had a formal invitation, and they might look silly … and there’s so much to do, and the dishes at home have been piling up and they should really call the auto-shop about that nagging light … And they move on. Some will see you playing, and there will be a subtle stutter in their step a hesitation of the heart nudging them to join. They may even stop and scratch their chin before they move on with their day. Some adults walk by and gaze at you like a picture of some faraway place that they could swear they’ve been before.
#LETS PLAY CATCH A LOVER WINDOWS#
You may not see some onlookers, but you will feel their presence leering at you from the dark windows of buildings - surely there are better ways you could be spending your time. Children will join in your game without asking, as if picking up where they left off. The art, I’ve been told, is to let that go, too. You will hope that every pass will be like that one. In similar fashion, you may throw a perfect pass, and look to see who will cherish this moment forever. With enough practice, you will be foolish without worry. You may feel that this moment will be described by the epitaphs of the onlookers.
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A pass will sail perfectly through your hands, and you will feel foolish and look around to see who was watching. Or, like a cartoon who’s run off a cliff, it will realize it was never meant to fly and fall flat on the ground. The ball may stop and turn at right angles in mid-air. Your hands will feel alien, and you will look at them as if they have somehow betrayed you. When you play catch as an adult, especially after a long hiatus, you may at first feel inept. But their mastery is unearned - rooted in newness and innocence. For them it comes easy, as life hasn’t yet tangled them in the hoopla of doing and planning and regretting.
#LETS PLAY CATCH A LOVER HOW TO#
They don’t need a silly guide like this to tell them how to play such a simple game.
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