Monday, January 2, 2012

Gutsy At Anything


"I'm a trisexual.  I'll try anything once" ~ Samantha Jones, Sex in the City


The first time I decided I really wanted to play tennis, I bought a tennis ball machine.  And that was it.  Racket in hand, I dragged that 50 lb machine and two hoppers of tennis balls and just whacked away at a local park.  It didn't occur to me to take actual lessons or to play actual tennis with real live people.  Nope.  I was happy with my bestie - Silent (but not deadly) Partner.
Beginning Tennis Player's Best Friend
With this machine, I was able to develop my topspin and general consistent hitting.  Unfortunately, that was all I could do.  Steve said it was a great tool to practice with but the real test would be once I started hitting with people. He suggested I maybe look for a group to hit with.  I scoffed at his idea, hugged my ball machine protectively, and kept on playing by myself.

Then one day I got bored.  The ball machine was too predictable.  I hate when Steve is right.

Because my nature is a little more on the reserved side, I started off with group lessons.  That's considered "hitting with a group", right?  After 8 weeks of lessons, my instructor wanted to know if I wanted to hit with his group on Saturdays.

Initially I balked at the idea.  I didn't think I was ready, I was unsure of myself and my tennis abilities.  I didn't have the right tennis outfit.  But then I thought "how am I supposed to get better?"  As I was contemplating, I looked down at the tennis court littered with tennis balls we'd been hitting at for hours.

That's it.  I needed balls.  Not tennis balls, balls.  I needed guts-balls.  People who wanted to get better at anything didn't just stand there and think of excuses why they shouldn't get better.  They take chances.  They go for it.

Don't you just love epiphanies?  Especially when they're in the form of little, fuzzy green analogies.

I started playing with his group and got better and better.  Then one day, I played my ass off and won my very first singles match.  Sure she was 15 and 3 decades younger than me, but ha!  I beat her!  I felt like my favorite female tennis player, Ana Ivanovic.



I used to have this dress.  I'll get it back one day along with that figure.

Actually, Rafael Nadal is the one that I really want to emulate.  He's the reason why I started playing tennis.  And not just because he's a Spanish hunk.  Rawr.

Rafael Nadal the King of Topspin.


My passion has become tennis, but I've started to do other activities as well.  I've come out of my comfort zone time and time again to sample all the fun things I once wished I could do.  And all I did was question, well why can't I?  I'm not a paraplegic.  I'm not in a wheelchair.  I'm not hearing impaired (well, I do suffer from selective hearing on occasion) or blind (unless my contacts are off) or mute (although sometimes my hubby wishes I was silent for at least 10 minutes straight).  And with that way of thinking, I managed to join a Billiards League, a Triathlon group, tried Yoga, Bikram Yoga, and have done several 5K's, a mudrun, and a handful of tennis tournaments.

And I'm not done yet.  I'll still be doing this even in the latter years of my life.  I want to be as active as the oldest female Triathlete I know - Harriet Anderson.  You can read about her HERE.  She's in her seventies and still going! That's guts right there.  Truly inspirational.

So don't be afraid.  You want to try something, then do it.  If you're able to - why not?  Don't stop yourself from moving, growing, learning.  Experiment and experience. When Life throws you a tennis ball, what do you do?  You use your topspin forehand to smash it cross court to win the match.

Life will be impressed.






















2 comments:

  1. And you've taken me outside of my comfort zone too! I would have never joined the running group or gone to the pool by myself. Thanks for having the balls to try new things!

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  2. Definitely! Without you I'd be in my cave, wasting time being wishy washy about "Should I go here? Should I do that?" Ok, so I'm still a wishy washy, but not as bad as before. Baby steps. Heck, you got me going in billiards :) and for that, I thank you!

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