Time moves by so quickly. By the time you get used to how things are, you find yourself in a different situation. A later, and most often, a different point in your life. You're continuously moving forward, but it's refreshing to look back on your life once in a while. Where you came from, what you were doing before, who you spent your time with. There's many warm times and moments you go through, and it may get harder to recall them as we get older.
Some of my warm thoughts take me back a decade ago when I was attending West Campus High School in Sacramento, CA. I wasn't a superstar-athlete, but I enjoyed activities like running, basketball, and tennis. Tennis was a sport that I had taken up for about a year and a half by the time I started freshmen year. Being a natural introvert, I was fairly shy and quiet. I don't recall walking up to someone to find out their name, but somehow became immediately comfortable with the school's co-ed tennis team. The sport became a habit and an everyday-part of my life.
I almost immediately became known as the kid who practiced against the gym wall. Every day I was dropped off early. Among the 3 siblings, we all went to different schools for a certain period of time. 7:00 am for me, 7:15 am for my younger brother, and 7:30 am for my older sister. From 7:00 - 8:00 am, I'd head to the gym wall before class to get a hour's worth of practice. And the occasional chips on my racquet from the nearby columns colliding with my frame. When school ended, me and several others would race to the tennis courts out back to get in at least 15 minutes of play time before practice began. The team would be out until practice ended around 5:15 or 5:30 pm. Being dedicated to the sport, I would still be hitting tennis balls with anyone else who stayed until sunset arrived to take the light away.
Rough summary of my school sport recreational life over the course of 4 years, including the tennis matches against other schools and the handful of tournaments I participated in with the team. But the warmest part of this time was being able to spend time with friends and other members of the group. Through all the wins and the losses, we retained that family feeling many teams experience after some time. Nothing can replace the smiles from the good times, the sweat from the training, and the relief post-matches when you felt like you played your very best. These times are the ones that I'll always think back to when I'm in need of a happy thought.
What are some of your warmest memories?
