"I Hate Tennis!"

So far, two days into my week, running has gone very well. After 10 plus miles yesterday with strides, I did my hard workout today and averaged 7:44 and 7:32 per mile pace during the 2 x 2 miles at a sustained, faster pace. I did a little over 20 miles today between my morning and evening runs and felt good on both.

Tonight I ran the Power Trail down to Harmony and back, and at the end of the Power Trail north of Harmony, it comes out onto the street at a little park with tennis courts at the west end. As I was running past the tennis courts, there were two boys, who looked to be about 14, inside the courts. One of them hit the ball really hard but wasn't too focused about where he was aiming, and as he smashed it into the fence, he yelled, in a raw, loud, dramatic tone, "I HATE TENNIS!"

It made me laugh so hard, and I said out loud, "So do I!". It reminded me of the days when I was that same age, having to take tennis lessons. I hated tennis. I always felt trapped inside a chain link fence, like I was in the zoo. So I got to relive some childhood traumas.

It all came back to me, what it was like as an adolescent, having a parent who is so out of touch with who their child is, that they would make them do things that they absolutely hated. Tennis was so confining, so limiting.

My mom thought tennis was the key to turning her recalcitrant, tomboyish, outdoor adventure-loving daughter who came home with scratches on her arms and legs from hiking through the woods, into a lady. I also think her motives had something to do with finding me a wealthy husband, thinking I might meet one through tennis.

"When are you going to be a lady?" was my mom's favorite expression.

"Never!" was my favorite reply.

I always felt like I was stuck in a cage. I used to stare out of the courts and focus on anything else, than the game of tennis. After years of tennis lessons, I still can't hit the ball or hold the racquet correctly.

I am proud to say that to this day, the only game of tennis I know how to play with any skill at all is Fart Tennis.

My mom tried too hard. It backfired...