I love having a bouncy ball with me. I bounce it walking down the halls at work. I bounce it walking down the sidewalk by my apartment. I bounce it at stores and friends’ houses. It is how I relax. Its how I center myself.

I once read that playing a high concentration sport was great for stress. The article cited tennis. You have to focus all your energy on the game when you play tennis. It is similar to meditation. A focusing of your mind on the present. Forgetting all the rest of the stuff around you, ignoring the world except the immediate surroundings.

The bouncy ball does that for me. I have to focus on it. I have to relax while bouncing it. If I’m not focused on it I miss the ball and have to chase after it. I’m pretty good at it to. Got all the angles down so to say.

So when I walk down the sidewalk bouncing the ball, I have a smile on my face. I’m sure people are staring at me. I’m sure people are wondering what’s going on in my head. Essentially I love it. Its different. Its rather unique (come on… when’s the last time you saw a grown man – and I think at 33 I qualify as grown – bouncing a bouncy ball in public).

It’s me. It fits.