The Parable of the Opening Day

One day while teaching, Josh was asked, ”Teacher, how do they play hockey in southern states?”

Josh spoke thus:

A child was playing in the driveway.  The child was pretending to be the child’s favorite sports star.

“I’m open!” the child said to the child’s imaginary teammate.  The child’s imaginary teammate didn’t make the pass.

“I’m open!” the child said again, and again the child’s imaginary teammate didn’t make the pass.

“I’m open!” the child said a third time, and a third time the child’s imaginary teammate didn’t make the pass.

The child sat down on the team bench, shoulders slumped aggressively forward, eyes on the imaginary game being played in the driveway in front of the child.  The child’s imaginary teammates in the driveway in front of the child were unable to break down the defensive structure of the child’s teammates’ opponents.  The child could see the imaginary gaps in the imaginary opponents’ imaginary defense.  They were the gaps the child had just attempted to exploit, when the child’s imaginary teammate refused to pass.

The child’s imaginary teammate sat next to the child on the team bench.  The child refused to speak to the child’s imaginary teammate.  The child would not make eye contact.  The child ignored the child’s imaginary teammate when the child’s imaginary teammate nudged an imaginary knee into the child’s knee.  The child stared stubbornly out into the driveway, exaggeratedly focusing on the flow of the game.  The child’s imaginary teammate knew why the child was angry.  No words needed to be exchanged.

The child’s imaginary teammate just needed to see that the child was open, for goodness’ sake!

It was the child’s turn to return to the game, and the child’s imaginary teammate joined the child on the tarmac of the driveway.

“I’m open!” the child said, making a move that caught the child’s imaginary opponents off guard.  The child’s imaginary teammate didn’t make the pass.

“I’m open!” the child said, making a second move that divided the opponents’ defense and left the child all alone for an easy score.  The child’s imaginary teammate didn’t make the pass.

The child was forced to fall back into a more central position in the driveway, in order to gain possession.  The child’s imaginary teammate made a move through the opponents’ defense.  The child, spotting the move, made a perfect pass, and the child’s imaginary teammate scored with ease.

Just as the goal was scored, the child’s parent pulled the family car into the driveway, newly returned home from work.

“When’s it going to snow?” the child asked.

“It’s the first week of October,” the child’s parent said, “It won’t snow properly for another two months.  What’s your hurry?”

“It’s the first day of hockey season,” the child said, “And my skates are already blunt.”  The child lifted a foot to show a badly chipped skate blade.  The parent looked at the driveway, which was cut up by the child’s skates.

“Why can’t you play basketball, like your brother and sister?” the parent asked.

“They’re tall,” the child replied, “I’m only seven.”