Going down to the basketball court near the hostel my mother, sister and myself were staying, was just my starting point. I remember this date more then any other, July 12th 2003. It’s because on that date was the first time I had really got the balls to speak to a girl and not be freaked out by it. I was at the basketball court, it was just past 10am. Me and my friends decided to meet up really early so we could work on my jump shot, You see because of the way I was raised I never played out much or got much exercise so a lot of my muscles were pretty useless. For many of them it was the first time I had but them to use.

As I stood there learning how to play basketball at a more competitive level and doing it on the street ball court is really entertaining because all the people are friendly and playful. This girl decides to walk into the court with the other group of girls who came out to see us play. I hadn’t seen her before and she was a 5ft 5 girl, had deep blue-ish, grey eyes with mousey brown hair. She was a girl of mixed race, quite rare, Indian, Maltese and British… You could bet your bottom dollar she was the envy of the girls and all the guys wanted her attention….Including me.

At this time I wasn’t who I am today, I didn’t have the confidence or the charm to speak to her. I was SUPER Shy, if she came near me I would blush but my Indian Skin tone covered that up so she couldn’t see it….

So while we were playing away, for about 3 hours we decided to get the girls in to play some mixed team basketball. She was on the opposite team and I had to guard her, I let her pass me but I did get a few teases in, in which she smiled…. Looking back at it there was a lot of “playground” flirting going on.

Eventually when we decided to break for a bit, I spoke to her, found out her name was Leanne and she was just visiting the area but lived in the city.

Afterwards I just got her email address and went home. Now I skipped a lot of the day it’s because all we did was play basketball, have a few laughs and relax…

When I got home I added her to my msn and we began speaking… I’ll be honest with you I didn’t date her, then.

Fast forward to June 2009.

I was walking by the hostel and down to the old park to just sit and reflect on how far I had come in the last couple of years… I am now, time of writing this 20 years and 4 days old, I sat there and this small group of girls, maybe only 5 or 6 girls walked by, Now I’m a lot more confident then I used to be so I walked up and just asked them something simple to get a convo going.

What I failed to realize was these were some of the girls who used to come watch us play basketball when I was 13. As soon as I told them my name and smiled, one of the girls came up to me and asked,
“Oh are you that Adil guy who used to flirt with Leanne?”

I ended up thinking for a moment and remembered her, so I said yes and asked why.

From the back a 5 ft 5 girl with blue-ish grey eyes with mousey brown hair stepped up, she smiled and was wearing square rimmed glasses. I held my breath for a moment, thinking to myself…
“Holy Shit this can’t be Leanne, can it?”

She said she was Leanne and playfully punched me in the arm for not keeping in contact. She looked gorgeous, I have to admit. This time I made sure I got her number and arranged to meet her the next day. Her friends were egging this on, so that was always a good thing.

The reason why 2003 was one of the best summers I’ve had is because I met Leanne, got into a good body shape…. Met her 6 years later at the same place we first met and now she has been my girlfriend for the last, nearly 4 months.

That’s one of my best summers .

What I do remember is distant, like I read it all in some surreal book a long time ago, like my friend and I painting our bodies on the rocks at Northwestern beach, and taking Commedia dell’arte (Italian improvisational theater) classes at near-dawn. When I was very young, I might have found gold rocks in a stream, but that might also be a dream.

I am experiencing this summer with my two year old son. Right before we go to bed, I tell him all the things we did during the day. While he’s asleep, I write in his diary, in case he is like me and can’t remember anything. I am living like a child, keeping pace with him. My days are full of sun, rain, swings, sidewalk chalk, sounds, and long periods of exploration. I understand more about people than I ever have before.

This is what everyone is — a child inside, with a core of pure self. It’s just that with adults, that shining center gets pushed under layers of debris, and many never find it again.

I got laid off from my job, bought a one way ticket to Brasil three days later and boosted it.

I spent the next three summers working on yachts in the Caribbean and Mediterranean. I was following the trade winds, living life large and meeting with the some of the craziest and interesting people I’ve ever seen.

I made decisions to cross oceans on yachts based on a coin flip, sailed through the Bermuda triangle, had some close calls in big storms in the middle of the Atlantic, watched dolphins play at the bow and lazed on stunning beaches.

And the more I met different people, the more I found I really LIKE people. Everyone’s got some story in them.

And the most unlikely people (like the old rastas on the dock in Antigua) had the best stuff to teach.

Thanks for the great post John.

I saw your presentation on Frank’s videos from the Hard Rock. I’m going through a similar situation that you talked about when you were 35. I was wondering if you had any advice or reading recommendations for someone who could relate to your story?

You’re truly an inspiration John!

Rock on!
Joey G. (aka Joey Buddha)