An Open Dream

When I was young I dreamed of playing professional tennis. I was never scouted as ‘upcoming talent,’ ranked in my state, or even at the varsity level at my high school. But I was convinced I could do it if I just pushed hard enough. If I gave it my all.

But, like all of us, I was a just kid who liked to dream big.

Back when I still remembered what it was to dream.

Fast forward 15 years. I saw an ad for the 2014 US Open (tennis not golf) — nothing special. I shrugged and thought, “Ah, I don’t even know any of the players anymore. Maybe I’ll watch some of it.” Then a friend randomly hit me up to play tennis that same day — something I hadn’t done in over 10 years. My latest running injury on the mend, I figured what the heck. Could be fun.

We played a quick 40 minutes, my joints and muscle memory coming back in awkward stops and starts. A few shanks here, a weird backhand there — it was certainly nothing special, but the time flew by as if I’d been warped into the future. On my way home in a daze, all I could think was: why did I ever stop doing this?

After 10 years of not picking up a racket, my heart pounded with excitement. I loved this. I missed this. I had no idea where this went or why, but I was never going to let it go again. I reached back to my younger self and made a promise: I’m going to do whatever it takes to have the best shot possible at qualifying for the US Open — before I get too old.

So — why the blog? I believe too many of us forgot how to dream big. How to really reach for something that, in all likelihood, will end in failure. We’ve learned that we should all just ‘play it safe.’ But what if we didn’t. What if we allowed ourselves to dream just one more time?

This will be an honest account of my journey, with all its ups and downs, and I hope it will inspire you to reach for your dreams no matter how far-fetched, illogical, or late you feel it is.

Dream big, otherwise you’re just sleeping.