Pickleball’s Net Effect on My Life

Photo by Ben Hershey on Unsplash

Pickleball got me through the pandemic.

Newly separated and consigned to working from home, the walls began to close in. A friend suggested learning a sport I considered reserved for geezers, and I caved. I had nothing to lose except my dignity.

I began to play at the local park and quickly found a tribe full of wonderful women, many of whom are single. We exchanged numbers and began playing together regularly. I would wake up early and head to the courts, fitting in a few games before returning to my home office. We began to socialize off the court, attending concerts in the park once the pandemic restrictions were lifted. And now we see each other at least once a week. We’ve been there for each other through weddings, engagements and the death of a parent. We are like a small, sweaty family.

Nearly three years later, Pickleball has become more than a pastime; it’s a passion. In addition to the obvious benefits — physical exertion, camaraderie and exercising the brain — Pickleball provides a peephole into my mental habits, foibles and traps, and in this, I’m learning to live a better life.

Lesson 1: Grace, not grit

I’ve realized that the quality of my game is inversely proportional to the amount of chatter in my mind. Mostly, the chatter consists of continuous…