Swing Free!

So, according to Coach Crandall, Roger Federer, the greatest tennis player of all time, before he hits the ball, says internally to himself, “Swing Free.” That’s the kind of self-talk that’s useful to get from mere competence to greatness. And I wanna be great. Not at tennis, though I’m open to that. I wanna be great at enjoying life, at living, as me. I wanna swing free, be fully myself, my true kaleidoscopic self. Not worry about what other people are doing or saying or not doing or not saying. Not worry about … just not worry.

I think I am getting the hang of it! I’ve really been practicing the coming back to center thing, the keeping breathing thing, the staying connected to reality thing, the slowing down thing, the eating, sleeping, exercising thing. Yes. I’ve been practicing all those things, the forehands and backhands and volleys of life, the building blocks of greatness, great peace, great gratitude.  Joy.

So it is like tennis, and if I knew anything about any other sport I’d try to analogize for that one so forgive me – hey – there it is, why am I apologizing for only playing tennis and not soccer, football, extreme Frisbee, baseball? What happens in my mind to make those sports, the ones I don’t know, suddenly better? What happens to make me feel deficient for only being, if I do say so myself, pretty dang  intermediate at tennis, and not other sports. And therefore only able to really analogize to that one.

Well anyway, I noticed, I noticed the default back to self-loathing, the default  back to assuming others will be disappointed in me and what I have to offer, the big  fear of putting it out there hurdle, and now I’m resuming. Not pulling that thread.

I get it, if I’m playing violin I gotta not worry about not playing piano. If I’m curing cancer I gotta not worry about not ending global warming. If I’m mommy blogging and playing tennis, best not to worry about not playing volleyball. Or curing cancer.

But I do worry. Though I don’t need to worry about the worrying. I could take it in stride – whoop there it is! And move on, quickly, quickly, ever so quickly to the point. Resume, move forward. Just keep going.

It is like tennis. Keep swinging, Sascha. Swing Free!

P.S. Here's an older post that reminds me I really am improving at all this stuff, the tennis and the enjoying life/self-acceptance stuff:

http://www.livingeveryminuteofit.com/2017/04/06/boinggggg/