Why I Play Tennis

Why do we play sports? Yeah, you injure yourself, you cut yourself, you break yourself, and you will often lose to someone else. Then why do we play? No matter the infinite numbers of external injuries we suffer, it will never eclipse the internal strength that is developed. At least that's why I play sports.
My tennis career started when I was eight years old. Back then, I never quite understood why I played the sport. My only reasoning was because I enjoyed the sport. A couple days ago, I played my first, Level 6, USTA tournament for girls age 14's. I was feeling only a little bit nerve-wreaked when I signed up. Then, the draw placed me against the NUMBER 4! seed of the whole tournament. Immediately, this was my reaction:

What was I going to do? My brain was swelling and on the verge of blowing up. The planets around it were feeling the explosive impact of the incessantly shaking brain. I couldn't find a way to fight the apprehension. I knew I was going to lose. A friend encouraged me to imagine how I wanted to play. Finding the craziest and most meticulous strategies for success, I could not succumb the distraught feeling of playing the NUMBER 4 SEED. I wanted to pretend to be sick, hide in the corner. Of course, play day came soon enough…I was forced to crack the shell.

It was terrible, as I had predicted it would turn out. I'd lost the first set 6-1. I'd been creamed, pronounced the way five-year old exaggerate the 'eamed' when their final soccer game scores are 10-8. Really? Losing by 2 goals? That's nothing. I lost by five GAMES in the first set. I looked at the clock. I'd only been playing for thirty minutes. It was a 50 minute one-way ride to the courts. Wow. I was going to be eliminated in another thirty minutes and I would end up spending forty extra minutes on the road than on the courts. Though in my head, I wasn't aghast that she had beaten me by five games the first set. I was kind of expecting it because of her higher ranking. 

Then the game turned. In retrospect, I frankly cannot say how I'd played differently. However, I do know three things: (1) I switched rackets, (2) my opponent freaked out, (3) I didn't freak out or give up. It drove me to win this next set 6-2. This win dramatically changed the way I saw the game. I had gone into this tournament thinking, oh yeah, she'll cream me. I don't stand a chance. Now I'm thinking, you know, I DO stand a chance and if I focus, remain resilient and be aggressive, then I can win. Once again, I evoked the image of how I wanted to play. I closed my eyes, fingers fidgeted with my strings, dictating that I could be the player I had envisioned myself to be.

The tie breaker went well, even though I lost by two points, 10-8. I'd remained resilient, I hadn't given up. The lesson I've learned from this experience is that internally you must believe in your skills and success. This goes beyond playing a sport. This skill can bring success into life as well. For example, if you want to attend a highly selective university and you don't believe you'll get accepted, change that confidence. Envision yourself during your interview, during the test and imagine who you want to be. You'll have a much better shot at resembling your true self during that moment. Also, be resilient. I don't know how many times I've said this, but I've learned that if you give in, you won't win anything. During my first few tennis matches, I remember feeling the desperation in seeing the score 5-1, with only five points lost until my opponent won. I would end up hitting random, wasted shots, showing my lack of strength. When I was creamed in the first set of this match, I managed to remain strong internally and win the second set. I have learned to bring myself back into life beyond sports whenever I encounter a setback. This is why I play tennis.

Thankful Letters of 2015

Recently I watched a video about thankfulness and happiness. The narrator shows how happiness could be expressed through being thankful. Each day, people look out for you. This video shows how simply writing and recognizing the joy, comfort, or kindness of someone can bring you happiness. This is also called being grateful. I encourage readers to experiment this holiday season. How do you feel?
Watching the video imbued a sensation of reflection, thankfulness and a want for the people I love to know how I feel about them.
Here's the video link!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHv6vTKD6lg

Dad,
  Wow! I'm finally here, it's Thanksgiving and I'm only days shy of 13. I'm here because of you, and I want to say thanks. You're my guiding beacon in a stormy and perilous sea called life. You're my inspiration. You keep me off the ground, and though there have been rough times, you continue to push me to the sky. I'm so grateful for having parents like you and Mommy. I'll never take that for granted. I'm forever grateful!

                                                                       Thank you. Your Daughter,
                                                                                                             Ava

Mom,
  You've always been there for me. I can't emphasize that enough. Whether I had a stressful day, a terrible-grade day, or an I-don't-want-to-talk-to-anyone day, you've always helped me through these negative times. You bring joy and comfort into my life. You encourage me. You pushed me. You teach me how to be a better person. You've created an environment where I can tell you anything and know you'll be there to support me. Without you, I would certainly not be the same Ava. You make an ineffable number of sacrifices for me daily, and I can't thank you enough for being Mom.

                                                                         Thank you. Your Daughter,
                                                                                                             Ava

23

The practice of goal setting has been taught as a valuable lesson since I was young. It creates a plan for me. It can be edited. It can be exaggerated with extremely high set standards. Your goals may not succeed, but it unconsciously sets marks in life. In fact, goals will never be 100% fulfilled. However, it can guide you to being someone you want to be. Goal setting is a first draft of life. 

 

When I'm 23…

I'll be 23.

Literally.

I'll be in a highly selective university.

I'll be a writer.

I will play tennis,

run freely,

and practice my yoga routine.

I'll be JOY'S girlfriend,

well-loved,

yet beaten.

I'll have scars,

memories,

and a library
of mindful living tips,
collected from my years of childhood.

I'll be preparing
for some kind of a graduate school test. And
I'm going to be accepted
into graduate school.

But regardless of where
I wind up,
I'll always still be me.
Ava Long.

Crossing the Country

There have been 24 practices. There have been eight meets. After 32 days of running X-Country with my school, I've become a different runner. I've become someone who understands strategy, training routines while recognizing reasons for success.

*   *   *

Today marks the last run as a team of the season. 2015. It was here 31 times. It's soon to go at 32. Five school buses are parked on Gerry's Landing Road, bordering the concrete sidewalks that make the transition across the vast field of football and soccer players swifter. I stare at my Fitbit. 3:00. The race is scheduled to commence at 3:30. You can do the math, there is only thirty minutes before the onset of smelly sweat. I report the weather as odiously windy, cold and solemn. It is also Friday the 13. How much luck can be upon our team? I question. Dressed in navy running shorts, a white long-sleeved shirt, with the jersey over it in 50 degrees, is cold. Freezing cold. My legs perpetually shake. The hairs on my arms rise threateningly high, as if they will be pulled off by the wind any second.

The clouds show no light. Water drops trickle down the side of the Athletics Center into the shallow puddles that have developed underneath. Traffic is ceaseless. Beeping, honking, drives me bonkers. \We are called to be go inside. At least a dozen boxes of sweets are dragged with us. 

"Girls, I'll give you two commands, one of which is 'ready set, runners' the second of which is the blowing of the whistle, now, you are to–" I zone out after noticing how the host speaks with no periods. He just goes on and on and on. I've run this course at least three times. Each time, the rules are the same. I watch the boys anxiously watching on the sidelines. They will race after the us. Currently, they are cheering above the voice of the host. When I return to my surroundings, the host has said 'ready set, runners.' Adrenaline rushes into my legs. I'm ready for this, I'm ready for this. I've been saying these five words to myself for hours, telling myself I'm ready. Having asthma complicates running. I stand in the second row, realizing that I'd taken a puff of my inhaler too early. Attempting to forget, I stare at the runners feet in front of me. I observe the placement of their feet. About hips-width apart, left leg in the back for the spring, right leg in front for direction, toes pointing slightly outwards. I am ready for this, I assure myself. Before I am ready, the whistle screeches. 

All I hear are sneakers treading ineptly on the pavement. Breath comes out of dry mouthes in sporadic heaves of fatigue and difficulty. I dauntingly stare at the runners ahead of me. It feels like there are a million, though there are only seventy. I hear the wind rustling against my chilly earlobes. In fact, my whole body is still shaking. I smell dirt. It had rained the previous day, which imprinted a dirt like smell of must and humidity. My breath slowed for a second. I hadn't even realized it. That was until I had a sudden feeling of fatigue pervade throughout my body. Desperately I gasped for more breath, feeling renewed with sudden energy, finally passing the girl in front of me.

1.8 miles later…

So close to the end! I could see it along the bend of the Charles River through the naked trees devoid of leaves. The little boat house the stood all lone, staring at its own reflection on the river day and night. My friends were ahead of me. I felt heaviness throughout my whole body. Every muscle ached. I couldn't say whether that was a good thing or bad. My legs were flying. I felt free. I felt unfettered from the manacles of a school desk. I felt…alive. Sending this message through every cell of my body, I raced ahead towards my friends, slowly closing a wide margin.

100 feet away. 90 feet away. Now I was racing within the boundaries of the final finish, marked by cones on each side of the grassy area. I glanced behind me, seeing a green shirt. Parc schooler, I thought. Badly wanting my legs to fly faster, I gulped in a deep breath and thrust my whole body forwards. I felt my legs lift into the air at least three feet, stretch out a yard and land on the dirt. Every step counted! Every second counted. It was a second toward the finish line. It was a step towards the finish line. I saw a green shirt pass me at the last second sprint. It didn't matter. I turned my head down and crossed the line proudly.

***

13 out of 73 in no stinky number. I was satiated with my time. I close my eyes in bed tonight, evocatively reflecting on my whole season. It started with eight minute miles, frequent asthma attacks and way too much endurance plus too little speed. Today I had a good race. For weeks I had intense practices. Eight times I've progressed in speed. This was a great season.

The Greatest Gift This Holiday

For three months I've been emailing a close friend from camp. We have sent one email to each other. In that one email, we have 59 messages. Within those 59 messages, we've been conversing about issues in school, the sports we play and miscellaneous details that go wrong in our lives. She recently told me about her brother, a friend that I've known from camp for over 3 years. He's in the hospital. Today, she emailed me: They don't know exactly what he has, but it's bad enough that cancer was one of the possibilities…. The holiday season is here. Together, we can make help end this disease. It will mean more to the world than any gift.

 Living with cancer is a life changer. This holiday, I'm donating to cancer research. You hear people say that 'money is not the greatest gift in the world', or that 'money can never buy you everything.' No. In this case, it can. It helps buy someone's everything. If a person has been diagnosed with cancer, all they can think about is life. Life is their everything. It's what they fight for.

In 2015, nearly 2 million people are diagnosed with cancer throughout the fifty U.S. states. This number does not even include skin cancers. If you're thinking, oh, well, it's all old people getting cancer, think again. Not everyone survives from cancer. According to ASCO, the second leading cause of death is cancer for kids ages 0-14.

This writing is not demanding you to donate. I'm not forcing you to do everything. What I'm saying, is that by giving time, effort and kindness, you're encouraging and pushing forward research and prevention from the disease. This could mean money, a gift basket, or a card. Don't hold back. By simply giving time to a patient, you are giving them everything they could wish for at that moment. It tells them that there is still hope, they just have to keep fighting for it. It tells them that people care about them. It tells a patient that the world is trying to help. It symbolizes that they are not alone; we're all fighting. The greatest gift this holiday, is giving your kindness and support to cancer patients. Remember that their everything is not their X-box, their favorite pair of shoes, or their grades in school. It's life.

Works Cited
ASCO. "Childhood Cancer - Statistics." Cancer.Net. Cancer Net, 25 June 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2015. <http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/childhood-cancer/statistics>.

American Cancer Society. "Cancer Facts and Figures." (n.d.): n. pag. Cancer.org, 2015. Web. 10 Nov. 2015. <http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/@editorial/documents/document/acspc-044552.pdf>.

5 Ways to Make The World 5 Times Brighter

I get the world is never perfect. Perfection's ineffable facet makes it a common incentive to work harder. As humans of a complex society, we can not allow this to overtake the beauties of imperfections. I've always envisioned my life as a little dark world with hidden doorknobs. When I was born, my tiny, baby hand had reached for a humongous doorknob and opened it into childhood. My room filled with filtered light. I dreamed for more. As a child, I had tread precariously in my little dark room, still navigating the routes of life and where I could go, who I could be. I am entering the teenage stage to my life. I observe I am opening another door. I have picked who I want to be in the future, and I am on my journey to being that person. My room is still growing larger, my life becoming brighter. The vast planet we call Earth is minute and dimly lit compared to the wonders of the universe beyond. Lets work together to make it brighter.

Attitudes are like the plague. They're contagious. They spread rapidly once they are unfettered from the manacles of a person's set of emotions. Emotions range from the deepest pit of depression to the lightest fluff of the clouds. Whether your in the undergrounds, on the clouds or in the middle, we must be aware of our attitudes and its impact for others. This doesn't mean covering yourself with an opaque shroud or burying yourself into your own feet. Let others understand what your feeling. Let others recognize your rollicking behavior. However, never overlook the beauty of someone's day. One person's attitude will catch on to the someone else. Carefully share your thoughts. If humans become better at projecting their feelings, I assure you there will be less weights on the world that devastate someone else. If your day is going downhill, relive the time someone helped you. There is always someone out there who cares about you. Don't be ashamed to express how you feel. Remember that there is hope from one bad day. Learn to observe this.

Differences and Acceptation. I can't stress this enough. From racism, to stereotypes, to the socially awkward one, we've all been there. We've all been different. Stereotypes are almost never 100% true. Racism will almost always hurt you more than anyone else. Being the socially awkward one declares isolation. Instead, approach discrimination as a chance to learn about diversity. Differences shape this world. Without them, we would close another door to our lives. So respect these differences. Give these differences a chance. Give those who have suffered a chance. Developing a more accepting community will make those rusting in the moldy corners shine.

Mistakes Lead the Way. This means everything from making mistakes to reflecting on why something failed. Make mistakes. No one lives a life without a million missteps. Mistakes reveals gaps. Gaps reach new standards. Revised standards make a stronger world. Reflection is primitive to future investigations and progression in society. Without reflection, new discoveries would remain covert. After reflecting, it is time to correct. Correction is the process of making something better. As members of Earth, our job is to straighten out the mistakes we made, and correct them for two reasons. One, so that prosperity will not have to endure the same errors. Two, so that we can push knowledge forward to another extent. Our world is barren and unexplored. We need mistakes to do a favor.

Be the Spark In Someone's Day. If we all complimented three people each day, I guarantee our world will be brighter. One may not realize how far a compliment goes, but I assure you it travels deep within the threads of someone's heart. They recognize that someone notices them. You don't have to compliment people for the sake of it. Supporting a person is just as helpful. There are more people in your surroundings than tangible. Not everyone will be having an A day. Not everyone will be able to let go of past events. Helping people cope with their issues illustrates the kindness in you and your positivity. How can you flip someone's day around? How can you be the spark in someone's life?

Live Life Like It'll End Tomorrow. It's simple. Enjoy. Life. Whether that means texting your friend, going for a run, sipping on root beer, or looking at pictures of cool actors, enjoy your life. It can be too long, yet most argue they aren't ready to die when the Moirae cut the strings of life. Some people drop abruptly. Cherish being on your feet.