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" The fun part about collaborating is that you naturally just bounce off each other's energy and learn off each other.... " John Legend
I carefully opened the envelope and discovered a gift card for … a tennis lesson!
A mix of surprise and excitement washed over me. My first thought was: “Learning tennis? At my age? You must be kidding?”.
Who would have known that I would enjoy it soooo much!
I didn’t realise at the time, but tennis has the benefit of ticking many boxes that support my wellbeing and alignment:
✓ Learning something new
✓ Stretching my comfort zone with a challenge ✓ Time outdoors ✓ Physical exercise ✓ Being part of a community, meeting new people at the club ✓ Team spirit
… and running after a bouncy ball really clears my head …
There is something I haven’t grasped yet though. It is how the ball bounces. Sometimes it seems to be arriving in my direction only to hit the court and bounce off elsewhere unexpectedly: backward, forward, perhaps lower, or higher and faster or slower than I thought. I don’t quite get it and often find myself disconcerted, running in the wrong direction, or waving my racket in the air helplessly.
I am slowly learning that by being observant I can better anticipate some of those bounces and respond to them more accurately. It will come with experience and practise but in all cases the bounce must be experienced and dealt with, in the moment.
There are bouncing opportunities coming from everywhere in life too. The uncomfortable, awkward moment when a payment or an email we sent bounces back. Bouncing for joy at good news. Bouncing over hurdles without touching them. A bounce can also be a sudden leap back to our feet after a fall.
This fascination for the bounce of the yellow ball is aligned with my deep interest in what happens when life throws curve balls at us and the variety of responses we might have!
Situations inevitably happen in life …
My invitation to you this month: Explore your ability to bounce Picture a situation you have experienced recently, you might want to pause to think about it, when ready, tune into that event:
Here are some additional questions you may ponder regarding this chosen situation:
How about bouncing off ideas with someone else? |
From the 3rd to the 16th of July will unfold the oldest and most prestigious tennis championship in the world, aka Wimbledon.*
As you catch a glimpse of those yellow tennis balls, tune into your ability to bounce and dare to be the change you want to see in your organisation, family, community and life!
A FAMILY ACTIVITY FOR THE SUMMER HOLIDAY
Living gently, no matter what
Bitesize online course
Yes, gentleness can hide in our biggest challenges! Sign-up to this short and powerful self-led course to explore 7 facets of gentleness and how they show up in our life. Each day you will receive 5min guided audio, worksheets and a transcript to download and complete at the rhythm that suits you.
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Because self-care isn't selfish!
A meaningful and insightful experience to enjoy by yourself or share with family and friends!
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Image credit: Photo by Jeffery Erhunse on Unsplash
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