Hard Work

“You said that I was naïve and I thought that I was strong”

Newsflash: tennis is hard on the body. Is it true you can’t play all out at the age of 28 the way you did when you were 18?  I’m not talking about rallying a few balls around as part of the senior circuit. I’m mean tennis at breakneck pace. Endurance and tolerance may decline with age, but skills and strategic tactics don’t. I beg to differ with the naysayers who scoff at the abilities of 30-50 year old tennis players. I’ve seen some pretty swift serve and volley players on the adult USTA teams. Those middle-aged wise guys are sometimes just as fleet of foot as their twenty something counterparts.

If tennis is more of a mindset than a game of speed and physical strength, shouldn’t we all be able to play adeptly well into our 50’s? Perhaps I am being naïve. But walk into any country club and witness the clientele of the average tennis member. Most of them aren’t spring chickens anymore, but they can still knock a mean forehand down the line and chase down overhead lobs. It’s funny how we acknowledge the skill sets of advanced and experienced players, or coworkers for that matter. Yet, we hesitate to entrust those same people as doubles players or colleagues in sharing work duties. I like to see the older generation rise to the occasion. I’d like to think I’ll be one of those 50 something folk one day, sharply snapping my racquet at the net and sending crosscourt shots to the deepest corners of the baseline.  If you watch older players maneuver around the court, you will notice something strikingly similar about the way beginners play. They take their time with each shot. They focus so hard on getting their feet planted, their racquet back and their follow through just right.  Just like a beginner.

The more experienced players seem to know what is expected. They don’t shoot for the moon, but they perfect their imperfections. They know their limits. It’s just like that in any workplace too. Older workers are inflicted and dazzled with new communication, gadgets and technology. As a management student, I tend to do a lot of thinking about how personnel impact the workplace. Managing the baby boomer generation is an intriguing topic of discussion. It’s worth noting because the workplace is changing, and everyone has to adapt. Some generations are going to adjust better to technological and economical changes. Similarly, the evolution of the tennis racquet has changed the game drastically at every skill level. Yesterday’s players didn’t possess the power of today’s heavy hitters. It must be difficult for that generation to come close to being on a level playing field with today’s players. Or perhaps, it depends on the player.

I don’t think it’s accurate to state my generation is better than the one of my parents’.  I have every reason to believe yesterday’s players were just as good, if not more skilled, than the tennis stars of today. Perhaps you could even say the same thing for my generation of workers. We’ve been criticized as lazy, and rightly so. We have it easy today but that should not be an excuse to not work hard.

“You say I only hear what I want to”

Moving On

“Nothing’s going to hurt as much as that final touch”

Never has a year challenged my mind to change and my heart to move on more than this past one. As I turn the page on this year and look ahead to 2012, here are some reflections from the roller coaster ride that was 2011.

Good things happen to those who wait. This is true of life and tennis. Sometimes you have to wait for the right shot to win a point. Games aren’t won or lost with immediacy. The drudgery of six games equals one set. That is, IF you win by two games.  One set does not make a match either. You must win at least two sets to defeat your opponent in tennis. Several fortunate opportunities presented themselves in my work life this year. Grateful as I am for these new roles, they would not have occurred if I had not put in my time and been a patient person. Rewards earned the hard way, they say, are often the most precious.

A beautiful thing happened this year. I met some really great people who have continued to support and surprise me with kindness. College has opened me up intellectually to a diverse range of subjects and people from all walks of life. I’ve been able to get to know and work with many different people, although temporarily. Those people have touched me throughout the year and it’s been bittersweet moving on from those experiences. It reminds me of playing college doubles against my teammates in practice. We rooted for each other, even as we played on opposite sides of the court. It was a team effort and bonding. The stakes weren’t too high but fun reigned supreme. Playing with and against my teammates has prepared me for life’s many enjoyable moments. 

Defeat on the tennis court has also prepared me invaluably for life’s disappointments. I said goodbye this November to my 16 year old cat. A month later, I hugged my sister goodbye as she bid farewell to New York for Texas. Life changes are never easy. Moving on is a battle of emotions and struggle of the heart. My cat is in a better place, but letting her go was a most unsettling experience. To never see her face again or hear her cries at my feet are hard thoughts to get my head around. My sister, and best friend, is a time zone away now. We communicate through mail, email and phone. I drive by her old apartment or pass her favorite store and memories come flooding back like a hurricane returning from the shore. Change is necessary, however. If you keep pedaling back to the ball, you’ll never gain ground at the net. You’ll never get the chance to put the ball away and reach full potential.

Love is not so simple where we can dismiss it yet not so complex where we cannot earn it. As I prepared to write this blog, I toiled with yet another ‘moving on’ moment. One of the hardest things in life is walking away from someone you deeply love after you’ve given your very best. I fell too fast for someone--someone who had my heart spinning from the first moment we met. He tore my heart in half instead of grabbing hold of it. In tennis if you get ahead too fast, you sometimes lose sight of the entire match. You’re drained by the second set because you’ve expended too much energy winning those first games. It was the same way for me. I am zapped of energy to hang on any longer to the one I could have forever loved. And so as I move on, I am learning to love again. Love has to be earned. It has to be saved for those who deserve our energy. I don’t like letting go and goodbyes are always going to be grueling. Tennis has taught me how to handle those moments I would rather not face. Moving on is part of the game. It’s part of life, no matter how hard we try to fight it or avoid it.

“The door is closing and I just can’t change it”