The effectiveness of the tennis grunt...

Age slows things down...Things that took a second to do and to learn and to complete take much, much longer. Frustration on the one hand, but at the same time, puzzle pieces come together as well. My muscles go into autopilot on the serve. After about a half an hour, the body can do what it can do and can't do what it can't. I can't really run or hustle, but I can hobble.

I love how the coaches' words and instructions become deeper impressions on the activity. Where your toss goes and how you complete your motion all blend and become a unified presence in your action. You would run up to the box, were there a box to go to and hug all of the voices that have contributed to that excellent serve that you just did. Your mind prays for the living coaches and enjoys the sweet memory of the deceased ones.

Today, it was the American Twist Serve that I was concentrating on. I can usually do one or two and get them in and where I want them to go, but, not today! I was so frustrated about it. I had a little pain in my back and I blamed the pain on my not getting them anywhere near in. I love Nettie's low and quick toss. I tried a couple of those, to no avail. On the last bunch, with a gratefully warmed up shoulder, I tried to inculcate my oft repudiated "tennis grunt". It worked! They were all ace quality. I said, I guess I have missed an entirely useful experience of effectiveness for my repudiation of the noisy addition to my happy silent game.

I guess I will have to "Cry Out Loud!"