Silencing The Other Monster/Voices - Tennis and Swimming with a friend
This morning, after waking up...
I put one banana in my left ear
and another in my right ear...
in a desperate attempt to silence the voices inside of my head,
those who I named 'The Other Monsters'.
Going for two coffees hadn't been the best of ideas.
The voices were going crazy!
Who am I kidding?
Answer: You guys.
First of all:
Eventhough I might have bigger ears than the average person, bananas still don't fit into them. Unless, I mash them first, etc.
Second of all: the voices were not racing today. They were pretty quiet.
How come?
I had a nice breakfast, consisting of sugar free ( locally produced ) cornflakes as well as a non sprayed, organically grown grapefruit, with cane sugar and a calming tea on the side.
I then walked 25 minutes through nature, into the village, following this path:
The weather was quite perfect. Calm and still somewhat cool, for the start of Summer.
The fact that I was going to have coffee, before I would be picked up by a friend, to drive to a tennis court with natural swimming water right next to it, made me feel even better.
We hadn't played in two months!
Here's a picture of the (hard)court, with a view, just before we started playing.
Even though he beat me 6-3 6-2, we battled - and had fun - for about an hour and 15 minutes, if I don't count the warming up and the cooling down, and I actually broke his serve a number of times ( though not as many times as I lost mine haha! )
My friend plays a bit more regularly than I do and also follows a lot of tennis YouTube tutorials, including on mental coaching. I basically follow the ATP Tour Pro matches, like a person with OCD, checking almost all the scores and I watch short summaries of important games, almost daily but playing is an entirely different ball game.
It helps though that I played badminton for 3 years, table tennis for the same amount of time, some squash and some tennis, decades ago. I have a feeling for the game.
Anyhow, before I bore you too much...
We had fun, then cooled down in the water, right next to the tennis court. It was amazing. It felt so good that I couldn't stop smiling. I felt recharged, super calm and fit.
After my friend dropped me off in my village again, I had one more coffee and a toastie, talked with a friend for a bit and then walked home, for another half hour or so ( mainly uphill ), feeling like I got in plenty of exercise for the day.
I felt so good that I didn't need to listen to music ( on my headphones ), as it was not necessary to silence any negative voices. They weren't strong enough today.
It's now hours later and I'm still feeling good.
I will have some family coming over for dinner and then my 10 year old nephew will spend the night here. We will definitely watch a movie together.
Looking forward to it!
I hope you had a nice day too and that you keep prioritizing getting out there to enjoy nature and time with friends, as much as you can.
Wow good friend you really had an awesome Friday. Playing tennis and swimming with a friend must have been so refreshing for you. Enjoying nature and good company really does wonders for the soul. Wishing you the best this weekend
It was a lovely day indeed, super energizing.✨
So happy for you
Hehe
You’re making me wonder how big your ears are. Anyway, I’m glad your having a good day coupled with the game you played and all
Enjoy your weekend!
Have you never seen them on a picture? ;<)
Let's say that they are big enough to be bullied with, when I was young(er), as kids always look for something that stands out most.
I reached a point in live though where I consider myself pretty.
In fact, I grow more beautiful year by year, like a fine wine.
Beautiful post, Vincent: I love the combination of tennis + swimming - lovely balance of the elements 🙏🌟🤗
Awesome balance indeed, in many ways and - as a Libra - I appreciate that loads! ;<)
That looks like a lovely place you are living in. I was quite accomplished at tennis when I was a lot younger but my serve always sucked. Breaking my serve would be very easy for you. :)
One way or another, my serve isn't too bad. Perhaps other racket sports help with that. I would love to play tennis with a speedometer though ( to see how fast my serves are ).
Would be fun to have more Hivers around, to play tennis with occasionally.
Cheers!
P.S. Are you still bowling?
This is a very lovely view and the bananas look so ripe
I’m sure they will taste nice
Lovely post!
No idea how they tasted, as I put them in my ears ;<)
Me too.
The thing about the bananas in the ear, smashed, is a little gross. Hahaha... well ya, ya, ya 😂 how great that you played and you're feeling good.
I like cool people!
How do you know? Did you ever try it yourself? ;<)
Does that mean I am cool? ;<)
Gracias!✨
It was really a very wonderful time that is spent on the relaxation
Now that was a day well spent. Exercise keeps both the body and mind in great shape. I find that I do way too much thinking when I have not had a day filled with activity.
Tennis, back in the day I would play a few sets at least 3 times a week with a good buddy of mine. My friend introduced me to the game and would kick my butt regularly. As I played more and more the tables turned and the games became more competitive and fun.
bananas still don't fit into them. Unless, I mash them first, etc.
You're a funny dude.
I agree. It's nice to get out of overthinking mode without having too fill my head/brain with constant information.
Glad to hear I brought back memories to you playing 🎾 with a good friend.
I do my best :<)
still trying to fit in(to my ears), I guess
https://x.com/lee19389/status/180500118221513144
#hive #posh
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