Sometimes when we realize how wonderful it is that we found the game of pickleball we have to stop and count our blessings and understand that in many ways pickleball really is a gift.
For many who have reached ‘the age,’ or who are fast approaching it, pickleball has been revitalization. Lost was the hope of ever playing anything remotely in the form of a sport again. Yet, there we are returning serves, hitting dink (a word that wasn’t even in our vocabulary) shots and congratulating friends at the net with a renewed enthusiasm for competing.
Sometimes people play in small groups. There are times though; these groups will number in the hundreds. Whether big or small, new friends are found. Count how many dear friends you have acquired since you started playing pickleball. Amazing isn’t it? Equally important, pickleball breeds social opportunities. It’s from these opportunities that we can look forward to each day with guarded optimism that we won’t let our partner down, or that we’ll play better than last time, and perhaps, meet a new friend.
Certainly, there are some aches and pains. It’s part of being active regardless of what we do at any age. On the flip side, however, just how much fun is it that grandparents can teach their grandchildren a sport that maybe their own children don’t know much about? It’s the gift that pickleball gives to us every time we step onto the court. It keeps us going strong.
We all know the look we get when someone asks, “What’s pickleball?” From now on we shouldn’t be embarrassed to tell them proudly that “Pickleball is a Gift.” It’s a gift that brings so much joy to our lives and it can do the same for them if they only give it a try.
‘In the Spirit of the Game’
