Here's Passion

In everything we do, there are bound to be setbacks. I suppose passion is when you continue loving what you do even through those tough times and going into something with the willingness to fight. 

Tennis taught me that this week. At the beginning of the week, I was struggling with myself in the sport. I hadn’t been elected a co-captain and I was playing doubles instead of my preferred game, singles. At the time, during those rainy days where we didn’t have practice or those windy days where I struggled to hit the ball the way I wanted, I couldn’t focus on anything besides the fact that I wasn’t playing singles and that I hadn’t gotten the leadership position I strove for. Late at night, I would find myself watching quick match points on Youtube to accrue some inspiration and I questioned whether I wanted to stay on the team and whether I even wanted to play tennis anymore. At the time, it felt as if I couldn’t imagine myself being on the team if I didn’t play singles. 

Our game on Friday indubitably reversed these negative thoughts I’d been having at the beginning of the week. I played a singles exhibition match which I won 6-0 and a tight doubles match where my partner and I lost 7-9. But after I stepped off the court and got onto the bus back to campus, I couldn’t help but notice how…great I felt. It didn’t matter that I’d lost in doubles because my partner and I fought for every point. We came back after losing three games in a row.  We came back even though someone in the crowd was rooting for the other team. He was making funny (but distracting) comments such as: “LOVE that volley! Right over to the next area-code!” or “I love my poached eggs”. He was hilarious and his commentary set a unique dynamic on the court for my partner and me. Nevertheless, we came back after being down 6-3 and we had to play an extra game because it was so close. It was a match worth fighting for and I don’t regret it one minute. I look back at that match and I smile. 

When I look at with a clear head, I realize that I’ll never quit tennis. It’s like a part of me. It’s doesn’t matter how good I become or whether my skill declines later in life. I feel this sport is truly a part of me and I get inspired in a unique way every time I walked off a court satisfied.  I thought about some of the good points and how my partner and I overcame our distractions with the annoying fan. I keep thinking about how amazing a feeling it is being able to fight for something so intensely in the moment. Even though I played an exhibition match for singles, I played some technically advanced points and, of course, some not so bright points. It was that concoction of events that lead me to feel extremely happy even just to be able to play. I was talking to my friend about it on Friday night and she told me: “it means you’re really passionate about tennis since you’re able to find happiness in it after you’ve faced some obstacles”. I guess I am. But now I also know what the word passion means to me. It’s hard to put into words and I suppose it’s more a gut feeling than anything else. It’s a happiness that arises and a willingness to work through anything that comes in the way. And it’s something you wouldn’t ever abandon.