Step Off!

34The 50-Point Jump Shot

I wanted the last chapter of this book to be called “The 50-Point Jump Shot” for a very specific reason. Many fans of MTV will recognize it as a Rock n' Jock basketball reference. Being a staple in those games for the better part of the 90s, I felt it was rather apropos. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, as it sounds, it's a difficult basketball shot at a hoop raised 30 feet in the air. If you make it, it's worth 50 points, and in an instant, you can win a game that seemed all but lost.

Having experienced many of the extreme highs and lows that life has to offer, I've chosen to look at the 50-point jump shot from more of a “Dan” perspective. Metaphorically speaking, I see it as a beacon of hope for anyone who's ever considered giving up. By that I mean, no matter how far behind you may feel you are in life or when all hope seems lost, the fact is, you're never truly out of the game. Unfortunately, more often than not we become so consumed with how bad we think our lives are that we don't realize it only takes one shot to drop and we're right back in it.

It doesn't matter how desperate or impossible the shot may seem. You can't make it if you don't take it. I took one when I was 22 and moved to Los Angeles to chase a dream, and I was fortunate enough to see it drop. I've also taken countless shots since then, I've made some and I've missed some, but more importantly, I never stopped shooting. Now I'm 52 and I'm taking another one by writing ...