A Straight Line

I set the yellow tennis ball on the hardwood floor right at the edge of the entryway runner. I lined up two wooden building blocks on either side to make a narrow gate. Then, I stepped back, took a steady breath, and kicked the ball cleanly with the inside of my sneaker. It glided straight across the boards, zipped right through the blocks without clipping either edge, and tapped against the far baseboard with a firm thud. The path was completely true.