Getting back into things

I went to play pickleball this morning for the first time since Bill took ill.  I think of it as a cross between tennis and table tennis. Since I was a very good table tennis player and also play a bit of tennis, I picked it up very quickly.

It gets hot here. It is expected to hit 110° today. So we start at 7:00 am. I got up at 6:30 to have breakfast and get dressed to play. Then I get the items I need:

• Racket check
• Balls check  Multiple because they crack easily
• Sunblock check  For face
• Sunblock check  For body
• Sun glasses check
• Hat check
• Water check
• Tennis shoes check  there is potential for a lot of lateral movement so running or walking shoes are not advised. Tennis or Cross-training shoes are suggested.
• Knee Brace check  for an old meniscus tear – just to avoid re-injuring it.
• Ankle Brace check  for the ankle injury I suffered last month when I tripped on a step in a dark hallway.
• Wrist Brace check  for an old wrist injury.

It’s fun. I had only been playing a few weeks when Bill took ill and now I’ve had five weeks without playing. So I took it a bit easy. Fortunately, we play for fun and exercise. No one gets mad at you for not running after a ball. And they cheer you when you do – even if you miss. And they cheer when you make a winning shot – even if it’s a lucky miss-hit. The winning team splits up after the game while the losing team gets to rest until another spot opens up. This is usually 5-10 minutes. Since we are just about all over 55, the respite is appreciated. We typically play for about two hours.

It felt really good to get back into it. I had played in my monthly scrabble game last week and that was good too. But there is something about physical activity that makes you feel alive.