Thoughts From My Thankful Thanksgiving Thursday

Last week wasn't easy for me. Personally, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. It was a week where I can definitely attest to the fact that Murphy's Law was truly ruling over the events in my life. Now that the dust has settled I realize there is so much for me to be thankful for. While the events last week were troubling, they were not devastating. I have options, and for this I am most thankful.

On the court, I can't linger on the points that I don't win, and the same is true in everyday life. Tennis players live by the mantra - "next point", and right now, that is all I can do. I can choose to focus on the events of the past week, but why? Will that allow me to focus on winning or excelling at the next shot fired at me in life? I don't think so. Rather than allowing myself to get caught up in things that are beyond my control or naturally occuring events, I have decided to approach it the way I would on the court - accept it, analyze it, strategize, and keep moving. I can't say that none of those situations will never arise again, but you know what? I will be thankful to have those past experiences to reflect back on. Because it will be those past experiences that will serve as situational life lessons that will prepare me for even tougher shots fired my way.

6 Days and Counting.

I haven't played a lick of tennis in 9 days...Who would've thought that could happen. Most assuredly, not my friends. No, I'm not sick, and no, I definitely didn't fall and crack my head...well, at least not this time. It really isn't my fault that I haven't played. For the lack of a better tennis term, it's been a "mixed combo".

I won't bore you with the details, but there were forces (career-related) that interfered with my lifestyle. Now, there are new forces (family-oriented) that interfere with my lifestyle. In a nut shell, my real life is not cooperating with my tennis life. Oh, well (sigh).....at least I've been able watch. Friday night, I watched my team get stopped cold (literally) in our effort to become the USTA Atlanta 6.0 Mixed Doubles City Champion. Although the temperature was hovering in the mid-30's and I had to endure driving with the car window half down - that's another story too detailed for this blog - to sit on the coldest concrete seat ever, wrapped up like a cheesehead (of Green Bay Packer fame), I went out to support my team. Okay, that wasn't the only reason; I just couldn't stay away....addict. Call me Pookie, but the courts just kept calling me. While I may not have been on the court, just being that close was close enough to bring me joy and reduce my anxiety.

I guess I had better wrap myself in the comfort of that memory because there are another 6 days left before I'll have the chance hit the court again to get my next fix. Oh, brother!!

Food for Thought Friday

Here's something for me to to chew on over the weekend. If I'm writing about my two passions in life (tennis and food), then why is there only 1 food post?!?! Hmm...

Published Author...Check!

On Sunday, I submitted my 1st article, "Sleep: An Afterthought", for publication on Divine Caroline. Divine Caroline published it on Monday. Yeah!!!

It started as a blog (and it still is a blog), but it got so long and I spent so much time crafting it that I was determined that someone other than me was gonna read it. I've been resistant to the urgings of my good friend, Christie, who does a ton of writing and has her own blog - My Life....A Work in Progress. She has been on me for months, if not years, to write and submit my writings - so she gets the credit for it finally happening. Thanks, Chris!

I can't say why I've been so apprehensive to publish any of my writings, but I'm glad that I have my first article under my belt. It definitely won't be the last - there are others already in the works, as well as ideas for future articles. I don't know how many people have read my article, but I know at least 2 people, other than me, liked what they read. For me, that is affirmation that it wasn't such a bad idea. Finally, I can add published author to my list of accomplishments.

Check it out if you get a chance.

Sleep, an Afterthought

For the first time since July, I have an unprecedented amount of free time to myself. Most of this year has been dominated by tennis oriented events and activities - multiple teams, multiple weekly practices, multiple matches, tournaments, and tennis socials have filled my calendar week in and week out. This was mostly due to the success of the majority of the teams on which I've played. I guess you could say that I am a victim of my own success. For next the six weeks, I have only one league, one match, and one practice each week. With that being said, there is an entire list of things that I probably used to take for granted that are now luxuries. While that list may be extensive, the one indulgence that stands out most prominently, and holds the #1 slot is sleep.

While I've never been one to indulge in sleeping my day away, and getting more than seven hours of sleep (in the past) seemed excessive, I’ve come to realize that it was one of my most pleasurable daily activities. My ability to squeeze in the minimum daily sleep requirement has been greatly diminished. Being a team captain has required me to start before everyone else and stay later than everyone else. While my team members may be afforded the privilege of showing up right before match time, and thereby maximizing their sleep time, that is not a possibility for me. The earlier a match time is scheduled, then the earlier I'm required to start. Now on the weekends, just as during the work week, it seems to be a requirement for me to set my alarm, and that absolutely sucks!

Sleep during my work week - ha! That's a joke. Maybe this is my primer for motherhood, I don't know, all I know is during the work week there is not a dedicated time slot in my daily schedule for sleep. It's something that finally happens after work, after my Superwoman quick change from business attire to court attire, after 1.5 hours of coached practice, after succumbing to peer pressure to stay on the court for 1 hour after coached practice, after the drive home from practice, after scoffing down a fast food meal in lieu of one prepared by my own hands, after extinguishing fires which result from listening to, reading, and responding to the emails and voicemails of team members, family, and friends, after a frustrating search through my closet for the next day's work attire, after the shower required to combat the stench of sweat and funk, after a hopeless attempt to keep up with my ever reducing rotation of television shows, after the nightly news, after an attempted blog entry, after the decision to neglect organizational demands, and after sitting on the edge of my bed in a zombie-like state staring at the destruction around me - I finally submit. I submit to the silence of the night around me, to the realization that I’m probably the only lunatic who isn’t asleep, and to the delirium associated with sleep deprivation.

After all of my daily obligations, that afterthought called sleep descends upon me like the effects of Nyquil on a cold sufferer. It ends up being a pseudo-drugged sleep that is so heavy and near paralyzing that the sound of my blaring alarm clock each morning doesn't register. Most times, I can barely remember hearing the alarm sound or the trip over to alarm clock to turn it off. I've tried diligently to drag myself out of bed, but obviously when the clock sounds I must be right in the middle of some very good REM sleep, so good in fact, that I am lulled back into my coma. That is not a good thing because there is this small issue called work. Oversleeping for work has become more the norm than the exception. Good thing no one keeps count, or I would most assuredly be fired. Unfortunately, despite the semi-tennis lifestyle that I currently live, I am not amongst the privileged who can afford to live the complete tennis lifestyle. Yes, work is a necessary evil that presents itself daily as an interference that must be addressed. Until, I can find the career that allows me to work from home and set my own schedule, I am forced to conform and request a schedule change at my job.

Sorry, I don’t have the 401k or the courage of one of my coaches who decided to quit working and succumb to the call of the tennis lifestyle. For the time being, there is no great money making scheme, idea, invention, or great novel in the works. For now, I guess I will relish the next six weeks of freedom and seize every opportunity to regularly indulge myself with the luxury of a full night’s sleep. The clock is ticking, and before I know it my schedule will once again be filled with everything tennis. Sleep will once again abate and only appear in statements that sound like distant memories of times long gone. My frenetic lifestyle will gobble up every waking moment, as well as those which weren’t meant to be spent awake. Sleep will once more be an afterthought.

Next Top Models

When I started playing tennis I didn't own a stitch of tennis apparel - no cute skirts, no court shoes, or compression shorts. I only owned a racquet. Well, more than two years have passed and I've more than made up for that wardrobe deficiency. Normally, I've taken a willy nilly approach that involved rummaging through Ross, TJ Maxx or Filene's Basement's sales and clearance racks. Whatever they had for the low-low has been subject to end up in my wardrobe. By shopping in discount stores, I've acquired quite an extensive collection of tennis attire and tennis gear, but you can never have too much (at least, not as far as I'm concerned). Recently, I elevated my game and started purchasing matching sets. I've decided, if I'm going to play with the top dogs, then I have to dress like the top dogs. To do this, it's essential that I not only be able to play well, but I also have to look fashionable and coordinated while I'm on the court. I've always have a tennis wish list (in my mind) and it's mostly Adidas but, I've never written it down. Many times I've gotten distracted and made random purchases that don't really make much tennis fashion sense. In light of this, I've decided that it would be best to stick to a list.

I searched the internet for some things that I'd love to add to the wardrobe and posted them below for all to see. You may notice that the list is heavily weighted with Adidas attire, and that has a lot to do with my love affair with Adidas tennis attire. I never really identified with it, but the Run-DMC song, "My Adidas," now actually has some relevance in my life.

Here are my "Next Top Models"

1. Wilson nCode N6 Racquet

2. Adidas ClimaCool Divine 2 Court Shoes

3. Bolle Swiftkick Polarized Sunglasses

4. Adidas Edge Warm Up Top

5. Adidas Response Court Warm Up Top & Pants

6. Adidas Beanie

7. Adidas No Show Socks

8. Stella McCarthy for Adidas Tennis Track Pants

Saturn's Ride n' Drive.

I had a ball today at Saturn's Ride n' Drive. I haven't done one of those since my fleet leasing days, and made me remember just how much I love cars, especially new ones. While my sports car day are (temporarily) behind me, airing out Saturn's Sky convertible was big fun. The Saturn Outlook was a great ride and being that it's a crossover vehicle I'm inclined to say that this would be closest I will ever allow myself to come to driving the dreaded minivan. I'm not a mom and so it's a cool compromise that falls somewhere between the minivan and SUV. I have never been the biggest fan of American vehicles, but I could easily accept the Outlook as a future vehicle when I find enough folks to ride around in it regularly. Although neither the Sky, nor the Outlook really fit my current lifestyle, I thought both were great vehicles for the future me.

The Saturn Vue Hybrid could make it into my "Next Top Model" vehicle search. It represents the present me; a perfect size for my family of just me. It's safe and efficient - that's a must have for me. While the other vehicles were equally as nice, this vehicle was more me. I don't care what I drive, but it has to have some get up and go. This puppy accelerated well. My concerns about a lack of power due to its usage of a battery were assuaged. I didn't have to turn off the a/c to have enough acceleration to prevent the maniac Atlanta drivers from mowing me down. Sounds funny, but believe me I've driven cars where it wouldn't be prudent to consider pulling out in front of another vehicle without shuttting down the a/c. I'd rather not see my life flash before me.

It had plenty of room. I know that there is only me, and typically that is the only person that I'm concerned with, but it's always good to be able to accomodate a few others. It also comes with a 3rd row seat, which I would probably never use, but it's good to know that there is room for expansion should I choose. Plus, I can carry around all of my tennis gear with no problem.

The ride was smooth and comfortable, I didn't feel the impact of every pothole or road imperfection. The seats were comfortable; they didn't feel like bricks. I'm big on the layout of the dash and it's appearance, which is normally pretty unimpressive in many American vehicles, but this is more along the lines of what I would like to see in a vehicle. No everything wasn't lit up like it would be in a Lexus, but it's modern and I won't go blind from the dash lights or appear to be driving down the the road with a spotlight shining on me as if I'm about to shoot a video.

I've avoided the temptation to be among the obnoxious SUV drivers who seem to have taken over the road, but testing out theVue has definitely made it more appealing.

Victory is Mine, Well...Ours

We won. A repeat, wow! I had put the goal out there for some of my team members before the season started, but I never really thought it would actually happen. It was just a goal, and it required a collective effort on the part of my team, but it came to fruition. It wasn't an easy road to the championship. We definitely had a lot of obstacles to overcome. Most teams don't repeat as champions at two different levels in two consecutive seasons, let alone do it after losing a quarter of their championship team. So winning back to back was no small feat.

This season served as a true inspiration to me for goal setting, overcoming obstacles, perservering, and rising to the ocassion. So, I guess this is evidence that if you take the time to establish a goal for yourself then you have a starting point. I can't say that I've been that good at doing that.

Continuous effort is a necessity; my team never gave up, we kept fighting. If each person in the line-up was able to find the energy to keep fighting through the longest matches, then why haven't I been able to do the same. Guess I better take a note from the team.

We won our division by 1 point, but that one point kept our hopes for a championship alive and kept us motivated to play for more. It doesn't really matter if I just barely make it to crucial milestones, just as long as I make it. Making it can only show me that I am capable of that and more.

While the ALTA fall season has ended and all business on the court has been handled, there is still more for me to work on to make it to the next level in my life off the court. I guess it's time to start my new season. I was a part of our team victory, but now I'm better prepared to battle to a victory that is mine.

Championship Bound

We're on our way!! My team is going to the "'ship"! That's short for "championship" for all those who don't know.

Back to the Kitchen

Okay, I can't hold out any longer. My cooking boycott is over. I am sitting on my bed with my laptop, surfing the net for sales and recipes in preparation for my re-entry into the cooking arena. My skin, stomach, palate, and pocketbook can't handle it anymore. No more fast food for me. The clock has been set and my mission has only begun to find the right financially achievable and time permissive menu options. By this time tomorrow, I expect to have a healthy, appetizing meal ready to eat.