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Justin DelSignore's avatar

Pepsis is visually confounding. An infection? Sepsis? Now I want to pronounce it wrong.

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Georgena Felicia's avatar

Granted the web lists you at 6'2", but with all those 3s Golden State Warriors/Steph Curry sure could use you! You and Kevon Loony!!!

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Bessie Scrivner's avatar

The Crow are renowned for their jokes and their biting remarks.

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Chris's avatar

It´s easy to laugh when you are the winner, it´s great to laugh together, when you showed up - and lost high like a house. And it´s great to let someone cry between both, when it´s time for it. You done it all.

And now - you share it...Thanks.

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Mary M Finley's avatar

Love this…🌿

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Marty Schafer's avatar

This is the kind of wisdom we need now, as so much of humanity is under a dark cloud. You have a new follower in me.

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Welcome to the party, Marty!

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Michelle Lindblom's avatar

Human endurance and laughter, good stuff.

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Thanks, Michelle.

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Julian bravado's avatar

Great story! I can hear the fem-bots now crying of toxic masculinity over that “wounded knee” crack 😂

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Dean Jacoby's avatar

This essay sounds like it was the same tournament Sherman wrote about in his first book, The Business of Fancydancing. There was a racist policeman in that one.

I was a teacher on the Cheyenne River Reservation in SD. I am a lifelong wrestler, but I was in my early twenties, fit, and a longtime pickup basketball player. I was recruited to play with some teachers in the adult night league in the school gym at Takini HS. There were ninth graders on other teams, and they took great joy in blocking my fast break layups from behind. I don't know that I scored more than one basket all season. The Lakota know how to play, and I would be humbled a second time in class the next day when their siblings would let me know how my play the night before had been "weak sh*t".

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

I played in many all-Indian tourneys in my teens and twenties. I miss those days.

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RonMcF's avatar

A motto of sorts that Chekhov is said to have applied to his stories is "Laughter through tears." It sounds very different in Russian (sort of smekh skvoz slyozi, if you can pronounce that!). Similar to what I was told is an old Polish proverb, "After you laugh, you cry." (I don't know how that sounds in Polish.)

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Thanks, Ron. My last name is Alexie!

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Dan Hunt's avatar

"Century of points!" hahahaha

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Hahahaha

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Edward Pisko's avatar

Great story. It made me remember a time Native Americans helped me. I was finished with my four month rotation as a medical student on the Navajo reservation. But when I went to start my car to leave my car wouldn't start. Four of my male neighbors came over to help start it. They tried and tried and eventually using some flammable liquid set the engine on fire but the car started and I drove away. Navajo ingenuity. Great people.

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Oh, man, the rez mechanics!!!!

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lou J's avatar

Gotta add,?I love picturing you making yourself laugh as you write your own story. I guess that’s really the central concept in this whole sermon. Thank you.

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Thanks, Lou.

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lou J's avatar

What a well timed nickname! What a well timed story that serves up encouragement, humor, hope and humanity all on the same plate. I could use a big meal of that. This will hold me over.

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M. Ellie Avegno's avatar

Your story reminded me of stressful life events and times when I just had to laugh. Once again you touched my smiling heart.

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Thank you!

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Michelle Francois-Walsh's avatar

Oh my god. I love this so much. The game, your three pointers, your dad and brother. Hey 55 points! 💥Love it! My Indian girlfriend tried to pass me (a 6 foot blond haired blue eyed girl white girl) off as Indian to play in a basketball tournament in Long Beach. We were high school seniors. It didn’t work. But the boys sure were cute!

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

We tried to pass off brown-ish white guys as Indians! And I played in 6-foot and under tournaments even though I'm 6-2.

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Michelle Francois-Walsh's avatar

Basketball is serious business. We do what we need to do 😂💜

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Hahahahaha!

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