In the short story Sometimes A Dream Just Needs A Push, Walter Dean Myers (author) explores the journey about a boy named Chris and his experience of wheelchair basketball. Early on, Chris was in a car accident and his legs were paralyzed, leaving him unable to walk. Mr. Evans, an elderly at the family church, asks if Chris wants to play wheelchair basketball, and Jim, Chris’s dad, a former basketball player, is not interested, but after going to see a game, Chris is sure he wants to play. However, Chris does join the team, and after a while, Jim decides to go to his son’s practice. There, he tells the team that shots off the backboard will have a bigger chance of going in that shots off the rim. He also tries to have them get baseline plays, but it is literally just a collision derby. Jim tells the team that they can play against Madison, another team, and during the game, Mr. Evans remarks that the team is a little outmatched. However, Jim keeps his confidence and continues to the game. The final score is 41 to 38, in favor of Madison. Throughout the story, Walter Dean Myers explores themes of success, resilience, friendship, and family.
Resilience is the ultimate trait to success. Being resilient in hard tasks will always lead to ultimate success. Not having faith, however, has a good chance of leading to failure. In the story, Chris was always nervous whenever his dad watched him play. He couldn’t do the drills and always messed up. However, he kept trying, and ta-da! He finally managed to do it. Also, when the team was playing against Madison, they were hopelessly outmatched in the first half. However, his team kept their morale and went out playing better, and even though they still lost the game, they won internally. They kept good technique, and used the tips Jim had given them. They didn’t give up when things were hard, were resilient, and succeeded in the end. Being able to succeed in something easy is not notable. However, being resilient and succeeding in hard tasks is a notable feat. Resilience comes when you need it most. If you use it well, you are greeting succession.
Friendship is like a slime. It breaks, and it stretches. It sticks, and it crumbles. Friendship is not always how you expect it to be. It has bumps and lumps, but you just got to work out the knots, and everything’s fine. In the short story, Chris encounters friendship with his team. At practice, they do not let each other down, and work as a team to improve. When Nicky G. started getting the backboard shots, he didn’t make others feel bad. He stayed humble. When they were at the game, nobody blacked each other for not playing the best or anything. They all worked as a team and kept team pride and morale. Friendship is not a package sent directly to you. It’s more like a message that has been intercepted several times then mailed to you. It’s never easy. Think about friendship like knots along a rope. Everytime you unravel a knot, your friendship becomes deeper.
Family is not something you will ever give up. Family is connected to you by an invisible, unbreakable, cord. It will never leave you, but you can ignore it. At the beginning of the book, the author introduces Chris’s dad, Jim. He describes him, and then goes into the accident. After the accident, Jim blames himself for not being careful enough with Chris. He grows quiet and mumbles. When Chris is excited, he is gloomy. However, after he goes to Chris’s practice one day, he realizes that he can make himself better and puts in more faith into wheelchair basketball. By the game, Jim has grown into a true basketball coach (unofficial). Chris welcomes his dad back, and during the game, Jim keeps up high hopes and sets a good morale. Family is sticky like glue. Always stretched, and always stuck. Never breaking apart. You might not know it now, but someday, you’ll understand the true meaning and importance of family. The secret? Love and trust.
The story Sometimes a Dream Just Needs a Push is a really inspiring short story that shares many themes. In the story, readers can learn to always be resilient during hard times, and revel in success afterwards. They also learn the true importance of friendship and how it can affect something, as well as the meaning of family. At first, Chris is kind of distant with his dad, but at the end, Jim has grown his relationship with everybody. Chris also learns to be patient and just try. Sometimes, a boost and a seed idea is all that is needed to make a dream come true. Chris also learns teamwork and motivation. When they were losing poorly during halftime, he was dejected, but his dad kept motivated. His team worked together, and at the end, they won in their own way. Success is not of utmost importance. The small details that led to success are more important, as that is what success was made of.
"Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out." John Wooden - October 14, 1910 - June 4, 2010 | American basketball coach and player
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