Dear Basketball,

Another school year has started without much excitement. Move back into the dorms, readjust to classes, move on with life. Pretty soon I'll be jumping back in the pool to swim endless laps in the ice cold water. Life will continue its cycle of days and seasons until I'm so busy trying to keep up with everything that I don't have a minute to myself. But I always find time to think of you.

When I started high school, you were all I had. I knew more about the game of basketball than I knew about myself. You were so easy. My life, not so much. What high schooler is supposed to have their life figured out? I had you, and that was all that mattered. You were my first love. My first passion. The thing that gave me the motivation to work hard and dream big. You gave me my teammates, my friends. You brought us together and helped us to fit with each other both on and off the court.

But times were changing. I was getting older and learning more about myself. Suddenly, there was another sport that caught my attention. I began to focus on you less and less. The future got closer, and with it, my decision on what I would continue to play at the next level. I didn't know what I would choose, but you did. I never thought you would hurt me. I never thought I would want to stay away. But you seemed to know we were drifting, so you simply stepped out of the way. A bit abruptly, but it worked.

From time to time, I mourn the seasons I lost. Sitting on the bench in your final year is not the grand finale one wishes for. I will never forget the feel of a ball in my hands. Or the roar of the crowd. The high of scoring the game-winning points. The low of losing by free throws. All of this was because of you. You have taught me so much these past ten years. About myself and my teammates around me. Thank you for teaching me about hard work. You pushed me to be better than I thought I could be. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today. I wouldn't even be who I am today.

I miss you. Not like I want to reverse time or anything. I miss the comfort of your familiarity. We must all give up something as we enter college. But, what we gain from our sacrifices shows our determination and perseverance. They become the stepping stones of our lives. I may have lost you as the largest part of my life, but I still shoot hoops on occasion and relive all of those years we shared together.

You may be gone, but you are not forgotten.