“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” Jimmy Dean
The minute I read the text message from my friend Carol, a tug of war broke out in my mind. “Hey, girlfriend! I’m hitting balls in a drill at 9:00. Why don’t you come and meet me on the courts?”
While my heart pleaded go, my body screamed nooooo!
Here’s a little back story to shed some light on the situation. I used to play a fair amount of tennis despite chronic aches and pains, that is until my plantar fasciitis took me out of the game for good. I could barely walk, let alone chase a yellow ball around the court! Come to find out, my foot issue was only a symptom of a much greater problem: a torn meniscus. After knee surgery and physical therapy, I was finally walking around pain-free (in normal shoes, thank you very much) and enjoying regular exercise.
It had taken me nearly two years to pinpoint, treat, and find relief. Ahhh, it felt so good!
So last October when my friend Kim called to partner with me for a charity tennis tournament, I jumped at the chance to get back on the court. Without giving it much thought I dug out my tennis shoes from the back of the closet, threw my racquet in the car, and resumed my backhand position at the net. Kim and I had a blast at the event! My game was more than a little rusty; but the fun, laughter, and easy banter of the tennis crowd was intoxicating.
Yep, I missed playing tennis with my friends! Two days later, I was limping around in agony.
Written here in black and white, it’s easy to connect the dots and identify the cause of my pain. Yet it took the gentle nudge of my husband to suggest that maybe, just maybe, getting back into tennis wasn’t such a great idea after all.
Fast forward to the recent text from Carol; I politely declined her offer and slipped on my shoes for a power walk instead. Later in the week, my husband joined me on a vigorous hike through the canyons. While I strengthen and shape my muscles on the trail, each step leads me to accept and embrace this new path to fitness. Although I love the fast, calorie-burning pace of tennis, I’ve learned to maintain a healthy lifestyle while listening to the rhythm of my body.
