Firefly Nights

I’ve been waiting to post about this weekend.

Districts.

I played my favorite singles match of my life Saturday.  It was 3 hours.  My favorite match because of how hard it tested me mentally AND physically, and I never game up. (6-7, 7-6, 10-8 if ya know what I mean)

I’ve been sad since Sunday when districts ended.  One of the teams I play on made it to states.  However, summer tennis leagues have come to a close. 

It always feels like the end of summer camp when that happens.

And this summers tennis season was different for me.  I needed it...

The month of July I watched all of about an hour or so of t.v.

I needed to keep busy.  I needed something to throw myself into in addition to my running.

This sport has not only supported me, but the people in it have as well.

We had a team practice last Thursday outside with the ladies I play with.  We were forced off the courts due to the darkness and inability to see the ball.

We walked off the courts laughing with fireflies glowing around us.  To me, there’s a familiar smell that the har-tru courts have.  Like beach sand mixed with playing in the woods when I was growing up.

While we are still in summer, the sunset looked like more of an orange gray vs. the July cotton candy sunsets.

A subtle signal to the beginning of the end of Summer ‘19.

This summer taught me many lessons. I think one of the most significant can be mirrored from that 3 hour match from Saturday.

Even when the sun is beating down on you, and there’s no end in sight, and you feel terribly alone- all you need to do is keep your chin up and keep moving forward.

To the next ball. To the next point. The next game. The next day.

The sun will set. The darkness will come.

But if you keep your chin up, the light will come again.

Wipe the sweat off your brow, and keep your eye on the ball.

You’ve got this.

XO-MB