Presence
Oh, the mind! When we miss a few returns-of-serve,
net a couple of overheads or double-fault a few times, we become convinced that
we’re “off our game.” And I guess we are! But, I tend to think “out of our
minds” is a more accurate conclusion. The more we think
about “being off,” the worse it gets. The worse it gets, the more frustrated we
become. The more frustrated we become, the more we berate ourselves – or in some
cases, our partners (Eeek!). Our minds begin imagining all kinds of
repercussions: my partner will be mad at me, I’m going to
lose this match, I can’t wait to get off the court, the opponents are laughing
at me. Soon, we literally can’t even see
the ball – so many messages are flashing in our brain – let alone strike it
with any authority.
Once, I got so upset about a line call on match point (6-2,
5-2), I literally lost my eyesight; all I could see was the ball hitting the
back line and our opponents conspiring – or so I thought. Oh, the unfairness of
it all! During the ensuing play, I couldn’t hit the ball on the strings, let
alone into the opposing court, for two full games – both of which we lost.
Fortunately, my partner – who had been streaky during the match – channeled her
frustration, began to focus and took charge to finish the match 6-2, 6-4. Still,
I was so embarrassed to have fallen apart over a call that may or may not have
been accurate. I’ll never know and it doesn’t matter – even if we had gone on
to lose the match. What matters to me, here forward, is remaining in the
present and not letting the past (a “bad”
call a minute ago) negatively influence the present (the
ball coming toward me now) – especially in a game,
for God’s sake!
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