THIS JUST STINKS…

(Previously published on my blog at www.BecomingAChampion.info)

I have to admit, this is the kind of week I’ve had! But Life had a LESSON for me and I didn’t even know it! The first chapter in my book, BREAK POINT: 9 Life Lessons from the Tennis Court, is all about Perspective. Whitfield (the main character) is at Rock Bottom in his life, but he begins to realize that it’s all about his Perspective of the situation. Whether he’s headed up or down doesn’t rely on where he is! And the good news about the bottom is there’s only one way to go (if you choose to fight!)

So what STINKS in my life? Well, a few days ago I picked up a couple of nails in my tire… UGH!! I came out to the parking lot at work to see the tire mostly flat. Well, crap. I drove the car to the nearest auto fix-it place and they said, “Nope, can’t be fixed, you need a new one.” And my perspective at that point was… why me? But there’s really no villain here… no evil force at work. So, like my character, Whit, I slowed down and began to make a plan. Get a new tire? Hmmm… wait a second, these are the tires my Dad had put on the car…

Knowing him, he probably got the road hazard insurance. Couple of calls later and I was getting all fixed up at Walmart, for FREE. An hour before, I was down in the dumps, now I was happy that my Dad had been smart enough to plan ahead! (Side note, I smiled as I sat in the lobby as I noticed that even Walmart is a fan of tennis balls!)

Fast forward a couple of days and I’m on the road again. A pretty normal afternoon had me leaving the house to get back to work and I’m cruising down Kingston Pike minding my own business. And here comes the Silver Durango, pulling out of a parking lot in front of me. Collision. Not serious, no injuries, very minor damage… but just enough to make you say… “Now, this just STINKS!” From a flat tire to a rumpled bumper in a couple of days flat! Ugh… And to make matters worse, the police took over 3 hours to get to us making me late for work and just generally in a bad mood!

And then my perspective began to change. With no choice but to slow down and consider the situation, I found so many things to be grateful for… I wasn’t hurt. The other driver wasn’t hurt. Our cars were damaged only slightly and mostly cosmetically (his power steering line broke, but that was about the worst of it.) Let’s be honest, I was glad this wasn’t my fault… I felt sorry for the other kid, but it would just be an insurance issue at this point.

After a couple of hours had passed, I called the police department back — in a slightly less than generous mood (Knox County and they were extremely helpful and very kind.) There had been an accident on 40 East with a fatality and all the units were on that scene. Talk about a change in perspective. Wow. I took a step back from the situation and suddenly my issues meant nothing. I was stewing over a few hours of inconvenience and a scraped bumper and in the grand scheme of life and loss, it all meant nothing. I was never so glad that we were all okay.

And then there was this. I began this week with the blog post, Knoxville Tennis Needs To Get A C.L.U.E. The response has been amazing, over 2,000 people have read that post and counting. But writing and reading a post are the easy part. A wise man was once asked how you eat an elephant, to which he replied, “one bite at a time.” So, what bite could I take out of Getting a C.L.U.E.? What could I do? Like Whitfield in BREAK POINT, I decided I would start at the beginning: Charity.

How easy would it be for me to give a gift to someone in need? And being the tennis guy, I thought why not give a tennis racket? And hey wouldn’t this be great for publicity and I could tie it in with my blog post, yada yada yada. It was a great idea (and I still think it is) but I must admit, my motives had some selfishness in them. I set out to find someone to make a gift to… and I got a message on Facebook about a young boy. A 15 year old fighting brain cancer at St. Jude’s.

Perspective.

I asked the person who recommended this boy if they thought he could play tennis… probably not. Okay, throw that out the window, now I’m focused only on providing something, anything for this boy. Can you see if there’s anything he’d like? I ask. A few texts later, it is clear that all the boy wants for Christmas is things for his family. As I write this, my eyes tear up with the sudden change in my perspective. I do not know this boy, but if there isn’t a purer motive than his giving, than his Charity, I don’t know it. My prayers and thoughts go out to this family.

Now my entire week of stinky stuff seems a bit trivial. And it is. Could we all give a little more? I saw a post from my friend James Edwards on Facebook today that showed a photo of a bunch of great Star Wars toys. He’s a collector, so I initially thought he was adding to his collection. Nope. He had taken the opportunity to buy a truckload of stuff for someone else in need. (James did not ask me to put this story in here, and he’s definitely not seeking attention for it. He’s a great guy, doing a great thing.)

As my wife (who wasn’t in the car with me, but was following behind and saw the whole thing in slow motion) and I sat waiting for the police to arrive, I saw this billboard in the parking lot and it speaks to me now more than it did when I saw it. “Good Things Happening,” it says… And they are… or they could be if we all do something.

We decided then and there that we would help our church on Christmas Eve morning. They’re making cookies and delivering to families who could use them. It’s not much, but imagine if we all gave a little. Whitfield realizes later in his journey that Momentum begins with one step, then two, then three. The mountain you may be climbing may be impossibly high, but that journey begins with one push, one step, never stop.

So, if I have any motivation for you today. I ask that you think of something you can give. It could be toys, food, money, time, whatever it is might seem insignificant to you — but to someone else it may be the world.

I’m in the process of creating a campaign called #GiftTheGame. It’s pretty simple. I’m going to urge everyone I know that has anything to do with Tennis (or maybe not) to go buy a starter racket — a cheapo is what I started with — and a can of balls. Then go give it to someone. If you knew what that same gift has done for me, you’d be amazed. My life would not be what it is today if not for a racket and a ball. If you do this, please share that you’ve done it and use the hashtag #GiftTheGame. This is not for praise or recognition, but so that your circle of people may be encouraged to do the same. It’s a small, small thing to do, but has such huge impact.

So here we are… at the end of this post. Is it Rock Bottom for you? George S. Patton once said, “I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs, but how high he bounces when he hits the bottom.” And a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Obi Wan Kenobi said, “Many of the truths we cling to depend mainly on our point of view.”

Has your point of view changed? I hope so. Please be sure to check out my website at www.BecomingAChampion.info for more about me and my world!

–David F. Berens

ABOUT the Author

David F. Berens has been a certified USPTA Elite Tennis Professional since 2001. His experience in tennis has taken him from city parks to exclusive resorts and island getaways. Today he calls Knoxville, Tennessee home.
He has also been a writer most of his life and went to Carson-Newman College and East Tennessee State University to obtain his English Literature degree.
His previous novel Dragon Reign: Book 1 of The One Prophecy (on Kindle and in Paperback) was a successful young adult fantasy novel. (He put the 2nd and 3rd installment on hold to expand his family and his tennis career.)
He has been published in the USPTA trade publication Addvantage Magazine and has appeared on several local news programs promoting 10 and Under Tennis.
With his new novel: Break Point — 9 Life Lessons from the Tennis Court — Taking You from your own Break Point to a New Beginning with Specific Life Hacks from a Tennis Coach’s Perspective, he examines the mental aspect of tennis.