Playing a sport requires so much investment not only as it relates to money but time too. Availability, as an adult with responsibilities and dependents, seems to be a foreign concept. Growing up, playing a sport always felt like a thing for those who only wanted to pursue it professionally or for retirees trying to stay engaged socially and physically. For people with lazy bones like myself, training to play a sport always seemed so rigid, possibly because of the discipline involved. Physical education was already enough torture in school why would anyone do this voluntary, I always thought. This year, however, I found myself somewhat forced to start learning tennis after my sister-in-law gifted both me and my husband tennis shoes (see what I mean by expensive?).
I wasted a whole thought thinking that regular gym sneakers would suffice; they wouldn’t unless you were aiming for a twisted ankle. All July and August we trained twice a week, starting each of those days around 6 am. I scoffed at my husband every time the alarm went off and sometimes even tried to negotiate my way out of the day’s session. But after every session I felt better and particularly on those two days we both had better days. The mind was always clearer, we were more engaged with each other and needless to say, both a bit fitter from all the running. Here are a few benefits that stuck out for me: