Think Again!

CHAPTER 1 The US Government Will Do That

Anyone who has played high school basketball is familiar with running lines, a conditioning drill where one runs from the baseline to the free-throw line and back; to half-court and back; to the far free-throw line and back, and finally to the other end line and back. It seemed that my coaches delighted to see us suffer, yelling at us to “run faster,” until we were ready to keel over. Some of us would go as hard as we could, while others gave only a half-hearted effort. When my coach observed even one person slacking off, he would punish all of us by making us run more. It was a dreadful experience. During these years I started suffering from a recurring nightmare. Awakened from a peaceful sleep, I dreamt my coach was in my room shouting, “Allsman, what are you doing sleeping when you should be out there running!!” I would jump out of bed, stand at my bedside (for who knows how long), and then eventually realize that it was not real. Then I would go back to sleep only to wake up again haunted by the same dream.

Years later, these stress dreams took a comical turn when I married my wife, Cathy.

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