It was Saturday. I woke up late as it was a ‘no-school day’ and had a hearty breakfast. My plan was to complete my homework and then lounge on the sofa to finish my recent read “The Trouble Twisters“. Suddenly at around 11.30 am, my dad suggested an incredible idea to go to the tennis court and play tennis. Well! Honestly, I was not very enthusiastic about it. One, because I hardly knew how to play tennis and lifting the racquet sapped all my strength and two, when I scanned the weather outside, the sun was extremely bright, and it was sweltering! I was immensely scared of receiving sun burns. Not a good idea, Dad! The suggestion was completely ignored by Dad and Em (My little sister) and he changed into his sportswear in a flash. I did not want to be a spoil sport, so I gave in.

It was almost 12 p.m. when we reached the tennis court, the sun glaring at us deviously. My dad plays good tennis, but half the techniques he provided were very much impossible for a beginner like me to apply. While he was busy showing off his “professional” tennis skills, I was scampering from one end to the other, desperately trying to hit a shot at least once, my forehead glistening with beads of perspiration. I glanced at Em and saw her darting in different directions trying to pick up every ball that we could not hit. After a while, she was so exhausted that she just lay flat on the ground, stock-still. Poor her!

I started off with swirling the racquet like a sword, as if I were participating in some sword fight. I could hear the sound of the racquet going “swish, swoosh” . Most of the times, my shots sent the tennis ball off the court. Thankfully, it did not break any windowpanes☹. And once, in order to ace the shot, I swirled the racquet so vigorously that it flew with the tennis ball and thudded onto the floor. I realized I had twisted my wrist. For a minute, everyone was silent. My dad checked my wrist and it still seemed intact. A brief moment of silence was followed by a burst of laughter. I picked up the racquet,  but the tennis ball had vanished!☹

I gradually learnt how to hold the racquet firmly and also how to align myself in a particular manner to hit the slow shots. Regarding the tennis serve, I am not completely sure yet. My dad took pity on me and considering my willingness to learn, promised me a grand ice-cream treat. I also realized that I would have missed so much if I would not have played tennis that day! I was exhausted but energized. I was happy that I tried something new and I liked the experience.

Did you know that pursuing a sport enhances our strength? It also increases metabolism! It can even reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and make us healthy. After all, ‘Health is Wealth’.

What are the sports that you enjoy? Let me know in the comments!

Signing off….