Tennis was not always my first love. As a child I engaged in every sports activity available to me. My mother sent me for ballet and tap dancing lessons. I went roller skating and ice skating and bike riding with my friends. In the summers, we had a local pool for swimming or I enjoyed those special week long retreats in the Catskill Mountains where I could swim in one of the many lakes.
My athletic ability and love of sports has been a gift I had since my childhood. As a tomboy of sorts, I got down and dirty engaging in boy-girl wrestling matches, thrilling ice skating whips on the frozen lake (the end person was whipped around the curve), and dangerous sleigh rides down the steep "Suicide Hill" at Goose Pond Park near my home. On my street (in those days there was very little vehicle traffic), we played tag and hopscotch and softball with the boys and girls happily playing together. Then we created these adventurous walks through the woods where we wrote specific required activities at different checkpoints. My girlfriend, Diane, and I were champion handball and paddle ball players, champions in our neighborhood, that is. We would challenge all the boys and more often than not, we won. They used to be so surprised at how well we played that they often tried to hard and caused themselves to lose. Diane and I used to laugh at how much fun we had proving our athletic skills.
It wasn't until nearing my 20's that I first picked up a tennis racket. I remember playing singles with my college friend, Barbara, at Kissena Park in Queens, New York. Just recently, she reminded me that we had actually started, what became a lifelong love and appreciation for the game of tennis, at the indoor gymnasium at Queens College. When we began, both of us missed many more balls than we hit. So we set up a challenge. Whoever missed the ball would have to pay 1 cent. I don't remember what we did with that money or if we ever really paid with real money, but that got us started by creating that sense of excitement, competition and enjoyment of tennis. It also helped us to develop our tennis skills, along with some much needed lessons.
Shortly after graduating from college, I moved into Manhattan to enjoy an exciting singles life. Tennis in Manhattan was a bit more difficult. Although I found some local tennis parties and enjoyed lots of private lessons with local pros, my friend Barbara was participating in womens' tennis leagues in New Jersey. With that same competitive instinct intact, I found a way to first facilitate a regular Friday night round robin tennis event and then I found a tennis court, in the Bronx, where I could create my own tennis league. I called all of my tennis friends and actually persuaded 8 of them to come with me every Thursday night for a weekly tennis league. That's where I met my other life long tennis friend, also named Barbara. She was the only one I knew who would show up for a mixed doubles match with older men, just to enjoy the tennis. All the other women I knew were more hung up on meeting the love of their life then on the enjoyment of a sport.
Problem with having a love and passion for a physical activity, is that there comes a time when you are injured and cannot participate. What is wonderful about tennis, is that at those times when I have tennis elbow, a back spasm, neck or shoulder problems, I could still enjoy watching a good tennis match and learning a few pointers from a tennis pro or even reading about it in Tennis Magazine.
Do you have a passion or love for tennis or for some other physical activity in your life? Do you have a passion for some other type of activity (e.g., knitting, crocheting, gardening, building cars, collecting, painting, photography)? The type of activity does not really matter. What is most important is to find and nourish your passion and love for at least one activity. It takes all the pressure off your relationships and helps you to feel good about your life. I know tennis has done that for me.
Dr. Erica Goodstone, a Spiritual Relationship Expert, has helped thousands of men, women, couples, and groups to develop greater awareness of the issues in their relationships and their lives, to overcome and alleviate stressors and discords, and to revitalize their relationships and their own mind-body-spirit connection. As a former professor of health and physical education, she has enjoyed learning about and teaching tennis and many other sports and leisure activities. Read articles about love and passion and healing at http://www.CreateHealingAndLoveNow.com/blog and healing articles at http://www.HealthyBabyBoomersNetwork.com.
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