"I couldda been a contender. I couldda been somebody."

I’m back in Huntspatch for the weekend with Emily and we were playing hockey in the backyard. She got tired of it and I started making some wrist shots against the side of the house.

After a few crappy shots I hit my stride. Pulled the ball into the blade of stick just right and let it go. My aim is still good. After the follow through you point the tip of the blade where you want the ball to go. Just like I learned almost two decades ago. I still hit my mark. It should be easier with a puck and ice.

I miss it. I feel like it’s one of the few things I’ve ever been good at. In most other way I’m a Dawn Wiener. The only highlight reels I have from the first twenty years of my life are from ice hockey games. I stopped playing because my parents couldn’t afford it anymore. I threw all of myself into those games though. I would be drenched in sweat after I finished a game, with steam coming off the top of my head.

I still suck at slap shots though.