Isaiah Thomas scored 53 points last night to shut down the Wizards.

I’m not a rabid sports fan like the rest of my ball-obsessed family, but I do get on my cheerleading spirit when the Celtics or Sox are in any kind of playoff situation, I mean before you move to Boston, you have to promise to support the hometown teams, or you have to live in Vermont.  but forget all that–FIFTY. THREE. POINTS. That’s a career high and like sort of impossible (you don’t have to be a sports freak to know this is out of the ordinary).

But forget that. Because there’s this.

His sister Chyna died in a car accident just a few weeks ago. His 23 year old sister. And he is grieving her loss. HIS TWENTY THREE YEAR OLD SISTER DIED.

AND YESTERDAY WAS HER BIRTHDAY.

Oh, and in the last game, his front tooth got knocked out. AND HE KEPT PLAYING AND THEY WON.

And just so you know, in case you don’t, he’s only 5’9. In the NBA, that’s like being the size of a bonsai tree.

Also, he’s only 28 years old. (At 28, I think I was still using a pacifier).

So, in this game he was contending with having had massive oral surgery all day Monday and being in major physical pain, to add to the emotional pain of having to mark his 23 year old sister’s birthday without her. C’mon. Are you fucking kidding me? (I could take to my bed just hearing this story).

Anyway, my point, is that people like this, like Isaiah Thomas, inspire me to my core. You know why, because in the face of massive amounts of shit hitting the fan, and I mean, like the empire state building of shit hitting a fan the size of toaster oven, they somehow find their inner strength. I can tell you confidently I’d be rendered useless for the rest of my whole life if my sister died. I would be in a puddle of pain and tears if you knocked out my front tooth (plus I’d be too vain to have continued playing that first game with a missing tooth–this is how I am–I know–awful, right). I would not be performing at all, let alone performing at my best.

I love people who show me how to deal with pain. Because let’s just face it, there is pain everywhere you look in life. Not to be negative, but this is just the plain truth. It’s getting through the pain that’s the key to the castle. I watch these people. I dissect their every move so that I too can figure out how to move forward when I am stuck in the muck. These are the people I look to, people who keep going and thrive even, despite being in circumstances that should have them unhinged. Where do they pull from? How do they get through? What do they do with their pain? Looks like Isaiah put his in da basket.

Anyway, my husband has always told me that sports can teach you a lot. He would trade his impressive resume to be a basketball or baseball player in the time it takes to say “score.” He’s right (I hate when that happens).

Hey Isaiah, you’re fucking inspiring me–and teaching me–not to play basketball–to play life. Celtics pride. Boston Strong. Yup.