😏 ''Even when you don't know the rules, you should know how to have fun'' - Definitely not by Shakiba

 Let me just say it right out loud: friends are cool, sure. But family? Family is everything. Period. 💯

So the other day, I was outside with my siblings — you know, the whole squad. I'm the eldest (aka team captain 😎), then there’s my sister (12), my brother (10), and the youngest, who’s six and basically a walking teddy bear. 🧸 We decided to shoot some hoops because... why not?

We're playing basketball in this chilled, totally non-serious way, when out of nowhere, these two girls walk up — one’s 18, and the other’s like 13. 

They’d been watching us and finally asked if they could join. We were like, “Sure, let’s play buckets.” 🏀 (Which, if you don't know, is basically just throwing the ball and scoring. No rules.)

It started getting a little boring with just buckets. So I was like, “Hey, why not make it a real match? Us four vs you two.” 💁‍♀️ Easy peasy. But then — they go, “We want to add one more player.” And I'm like, “Rude?” 😂

Enter: Xavier.

They literally call this guy named Xavier, who strolls over with all the energy of a sleepy cat. “I don’t wanna play,” he says. Super babyish. 🍼 And I’m like, “Okay, no one’s begging you so no need to whine and pout like a baby.” (Because, duh, we weren’t.)

But guess what? He joins anyway. 🙄 So we start Round One. No rules, just fun. We crushed it. Like, buckets everywhere. 🏆 Our team won like it was written in the stars.

Then comes Round Two.

Now Miss 18-Year-Old suddenly becomes a basketball referee. “Let’s play by the rules this time,” she says. I'm blinking like, “Excuse me, what rules?” 😐

She explains we need to pass after every bucket and stuff. And we’re like, “Okay, ma’am. Sure.” 😅

They ended up winning Round Two. Surprise, surprise.

But here’s where things got spicy.

Xavier, the oh-so-reluctant player, turns to me and asks, “Is this your first time playing basketball?”

UM. Rude. I gotta admit I was slightly offended.

My face flusghed as I go, “Nope, played before… like, varsity… but y’know… kinda forgot some stuff.” (Okay, maybe I exaggerated a tiny bit. 🤷‍♀️)

But guess who wasn’t having it? MY LITTLE BROTHER. 💥 He jumped in like a hero even though it wasn't his business but he sure acted like it (not that i minded one bit).

“The real question is,” he says, “are you playing basketball for the first time? Because it SURE looks like it.” 🎤🔥 If this was an edit, the bg music would've been ultra funk and cue the pixel glasses. 😁

I was laughing. The sass. 

And that was when I remembered what someone said:

People are dumb. Siblings are also dumb but in a good way. Friends can go away.. But family? Family stays. 🫶

We passed the ball, we hyped each other up, and we literally stood together like the coolest (and most awesome) team ever. (even if we are dumb enough not to know the rules of basketball.) 

Lesson learned? Choose family. Always. They’ll roast your enemies, and stand by you — even when you forget the rules. 

Until next time,

Shakiba