My Very Own Mr. Miyagi!

My friend and I, both late 40's, started playing tennis.  It made sense to us - play outside while you can, meet people who will undoubtedly smile at us chasing balls, and get in shape.  And it is fun! The mind is working overtime, and that doesn't hurt either in our old age.  We must concentrate on what the hell we should be doing in order to friggin' hit that ball to each other.  It looks easier than it is.  That said, we've got potential. It helps that I'm a pretty good observer and don't mind watching players better than me (which is...um...everyone) and learning from them.

So, last night, dragging our asses after some forty-five minutes of playing or um, ball chasing, we notice an old Asian man playing by himself.  He's methodically lining up his balls (hey now! Respect!), hitting them to the other side, walking very Zenlike to the other side of the net, collecting said balls, and repeating the procedure.  I yelled to my partner, "Hey! He could be our very own Mr. Miyagi! Here's our chance to get a free lesson."  So, we started smiling at him and excusing ourselves when we had to run in front of him to collect our wayward balls when he took notice of us.

He told us that we were doing very well to which we pshawed and all of that.  But then he quickly advised us to get lessons pronto or else we'd develop bad habits that would be difficult to change. Hmmm.... like the drinking and chocolate consumption?  Sounds familiar.  So, we kind of asked him what he knew and he was thrilled.  He gave us great tips, made us practice, told us to aim the ball to him because he was too old to run far, and really knew what he was talking about.  Well, Mr. Miyagi he was because not only did he motivate me to improve my game but he inspired me in a more profound way.

Mr. Miyagi, or Chan, is 91 years old.  He teaches badminton and tennis to the old folks in the community center, has lived in this community for many years, and seems pretty happy (I mean, he must be, cause there he was, in the evening, alone, playing tennis).  He stated that he'd been playing tennis for a while so I imagined him playing as a kid.  Well, not so, as he let us know that he started ten years ago. My friend and I looked at each other - so... we've been making excuses for not running for the ball because we're so old to be starting this sport when Mr. Miyagi here started at 81.  Gulp.

Now, we're all smiling.  It works.  Get out there - before the rains come back, play outside like a silly kid, talk to strangers, learn from others, and attract smiles.  It's that easy.