I come by my dislike of extreme weather honestly. Grandma Louise spent at least half the year worrying about the weather - mostly on behalf of others. One year, when they were predicting snow for Christmas, Grandma worried about all the people who would be on the roads in that weather. “Why can’t we have Christmas in the summer?” she lamented. “Ho, ho, ho! Go to hell, Santa!” My kids giggled, more amused at the use of the word “hell” than concerned for Santa. Old Granny, as they called her, was one of their favorites, and they trusted that she wouldn’t really banish Santa to hell.
In the summer, Grandma worried about the heat. Dad worked outside, often on roofs, and on 90+ degree days, she’d start worrying about him before the sun reached its peak. We’d sit by her air conditioner and drink cold Orange Crush sodas while Mom assured her that Dad was used to it. He didn’t suffer in the heat like she did.
I’ve never been a fan of the heat, but I did used to navigate it better than I do now. Drink lots of water. Find some shade. Stay inside during the heat of the day. Those tips got me through summer vacations, baseball games, and trips to the beach.
Last summer, I noticed that my heat tolerance had plummeted. I have trouble regulating my body temperature. Walking outside for even a few minutes on a 90 degree day when the air feels like water leaves me dizzy. This may be another Parkinson’s symptom. PD can slow the autonomic nervous system, a system that plays a role in cooling the body. Or it may be menopause. Or perhaps it’s best to simply attribute it to the wacky partnership that the two have formed. I’ve found that the best solution is simply to treat July like January - I hunker down and am grateful for temperature-controlled environments.
Hunkering down during July has become part of the rhythm of my year. Although I work all summer long on research, the pace of work can be a little slower than during the fall and spring when I’m also teaching. July’s heat and humidity are signals to pause, to make sure I’m taking some time for recovery, just like I do during the winter break. Following Katherine May’s advice, I spend time wintering, preparing for the next season of growth.
But if you’ve been following along, you’ll know that slowing down is not my strong suit. It is helpful if I have some kind of activity, something on which to focus my energy that isn’t overly taxing. One summer, we watched the Gilmore Girls, completing Season 7 while Ben was at summer camp so that he never found out what happened to Lorelai and Luke. Many summers, I’ve sunk into books, closing a back cover while simultaneously opening the next front cover. But a few summers ago, we discovered what I consider to be the perfect July activity - NBA summer league.
NBA summer league takes place in July. In the NBA (or the MNBA, as my friend Emily calls it), teams bring together rookie, sophomore, and G league affiliate players to compete for a couple of weeks. This gives the teams a chance to see what young players can do. The league is also auditioning refs, so they too are novices, working hard to earn a spot officiating NBA games. Even the announcers are not your typical NBA voices, occasionally wandering down tangents that are less common during the regular season.
Why do I believe that summer league is the perfect July activity? First, it envelopes long periods of time and does not require much planning. What time is summer league? Pretty much all the time. Today alone, there are eight games being played. You don’t have to worry about missing it. Just flip it on. With multiview, you may even be able to watch two games at once.
Second, the stakes are low. Someone wins each game. Someone loses each game. But winning isn’t really the point. The games unfold like a meditation, a series of plays that flow by like a river. I’m not too attached to any one play or to the outcome. The current play is the point. I’m simply along for the ride.
Perhaps because of the low stakes, perfection is not the goal. The players play hard, but are also willing to take risks. For every pass that hits its mark, every dunk, every pull-up three pointer, there are dozens of turnovers, missed shots, and passes that don’t connect. My favorite fact about NBA summer league is that each player is allowed 10 fouls per game. Go ahead and throw your body around a bit. You’ve got fouls to give. (Does anyone ever foul out of summer league? Yes, it has happened. A player named Thon Maker earned a non-traditional double-double in summer league, scoring 10 points and racking up 10 fouls.)
The lack of perfection extends to other elements of the games. When a play is challenged, there are no rules experts to chime in as the announcers discuss the play. Yesterday, as I was watching a game, the announcers were scanning the crowd to see who might be willing to share their perspective on the call.
There’s a lesson for me in summer league, and perhaps a lesson for you as well. I haven’t been a rookie for a long time, but I do take on new challenges. It’s hard not to expect a Lebron James caliber performance from myself even when I’m starting down a new path. But there is magic in the freedom to make mistakes, to go big, to find a space - even if only for a couple of weeks during the summer - where we are all finding our footing together.
Glad to see I'm not the only one who calls it the MNBA!
Giving yourself the freedom to make mistakes is one of the most valuable gifts you can give yourself.