Shower Thoughts #1

This will be my first entry of many I hope on the subject of my ideas, observations and thought processes that I have in the shower. But before I get to that, people always ask me what is it I do up at the unhealthy hours of the night. Most of the time I don’t really know, but here’s what I did tonight.

My vision isn’t too bad and I’ve gotten away with not wearing glasses for a good year. However, it’s just of those things that creep into my mind when I am driving and I begin to squint trying to read that street sign that’s less than a block away.

Black framed glasses and art. It know it’s cliche and it’s pretentious but I don’t think anything looks good or feels as comfortable!

I had this observation in the shower today, that I am still thinking about at 4:30am. I start with a confession.

I remember being called Van Exel just because of my name. My love of the Los Angeles Lakers runs deep. Although I was born in the 80′s during the showtime era of the Los Angeles Lakers, my memories of them are just from replays of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and my father’s constant reminder that the skyhook is the most unstoppable shot in the history of basketball. I, on the other hand, argued in defense of Michael Jordan’s fade-away jump shot.

I love of my Los Angeles Lakers. But the 90′s were something else. That something else were the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan. I adored them. I respected them. I didn’t mind if the Lakers lost if Michael Jordon put on a great performance. I joined the Official Michael Jordan Fan Club. I remember vividly receiving that package in the mail. My school binders were littered with Michael Jordan quotes and Jumpman logos. I admit, I was jealous when my classmates came to school wearing new Jordan’s while I was sporting some random generic brand shoe from Payless.

I had only one thing. The Michael Jordan Jumpman Wristbands. You better bet I wore them correctly. The wrist band on my left arm wasn’t on my wrist but my forearm in true Michael Jordan fashion. I wore them to class. I wore them after school. I wore them to death.

So, what is it about the Jumpman logo that makes me feel, to simply put it, GOOD!? Sure, they were just wrist bands. But when I had them on, I swear I felt like I could run a little bit faster than the person next to me. I jumped just a little higher when it mattered. When the time came, I felt capable and confident that I could make a difference. Clutch. I remember tying the Jumpman logo into everything that I did. Academics. Arts. Athletics. What makes the Jumpman so inspiring? The design itself is so aspirational. Nevermind that it’s Michael Jordan, but just a silhouette of a basketball player. The figure is reaching, even rising, towards a goal, determined to overcome any obstacle and challenge. The brand itself is only as successful as Michael Jordan is. He’s had numerous scoring titles, MVP Awards, six-time NBA Champion and much more. However, to me, the Jordan brand isn’t about the trophies, medals and awards. To me, it’s how he has dealt with adversity in his life that is the greatest inspiration. His father’s tragic death. Retiring from the NBA. Limited success in the MLB. Returning to the NBA. The rest is history.

With that said, I leave you with this. I remember it giving me the chills every time.