My Best Shot

Procne Nath once said, ~Be like a ping pong ball...The harder life hits you on the ground, the higher you should rise up.~ If you think about it, life can oftentimes feel as if you're playing the game of ping pong where our main objective is to hit our hopes, goals, dreams, etc. over to the other side of the table. A table in which each one of us were/has been taught to play with rather than against a designated opponent that usually ends up being one’s own self, which is how life can be like at times. In any case, it’s the shots/hits we take to all intents and purposes to win major life points can certainly be overshadowed by the heartbreaking, as well as disappointing shots/hits that we either lose or completely miss out on. Thinking about it further, we all have that competitive nature within ourselves where you can find ourselves so focused on keeping score that we forget or lose one major aspect of playing the game...having fun.

As I said before, we all have that competitive nature within ourselves where we can find ourselves keeping score instead of just having fun in the ping pong game known as life. I think it's safe to say when in life not being able to keep score and having absolute fun while on our own individual journey lets us enjoy ourselves more without constantly looking up at the quintessential scoreboard of wins and losses representing our successes, as well as failures. Of course, when your eyes are focused solely on winning points you're putting more pressure on yourself to where the game itself becomes increasingly serious whereby missing out on the real reason you're playing in the first place. Hey, that's when it helps to know where the score really counts and that is buy the number of friendships established with one's best buds/gal pals who keep you focused on what matters most instead of on the wins and/or losses of life.

Without a doubt, being able to have our best buds/gals by our side absolutely helps us keep focused on what matters most instead of on the wins and/or loses of life. Yet, it’s a thought provoking situation indeed when it’s those same friendships we’ve established over time that have become your quintessential training partner(s) who you can not only count on to bounce ideas back and forth with, but receive sage wisdom from as well. Granted, even though he/she/they may not always provide rich pearls of wisdom, it's those individuals who try to serve you, so to speak, a fresh perspective that will hopefully help put a positive spin concerning a negative situation to your favor. What it primarily comes down to is being open to the advice and constructive criticism being given in regards to one’s gameplay knowing they may see something that you’re not seeing or refusing to see for that matter.

Let me ask you this question to those who have watched the game of ping pong on television like in the Olympics, are you amazed at how fast the game itself is visually and physically you end up finding yourself watching in total disbelief? My answer is yes. You see, life can in some ways be moving at such fast, breakneck speed that you’ve become so used to it where your instincts automatically kick in, especially involving everyday life. Women, more so than men, are inclined to experience this sort of ping pong life mentality of always being prepared to move back, forth, and all around in order to hit back or receive whatever the opponent otherwise known as life serves their way professionally and/or personally. True, it can most definitely take a tremendous physical, emotional and not to mention mental toll, but after pushing themselves beyond what they're capable of it’s all truly worth it knowing all the hard work that has been put in.

In retrospect, there are times in life where in the ping pong table of life we can sometimes see ourselves as the paddle while other days we’re pretty much the ping pong ball. For the most part, it’s just a matter of perspective knowing there are certainly a set of written and unwritten rules implemented to adhere by involving life. However, they do have a tendency to be bent and despite that we’re still working within our own set of personal and professional boundaries in hopes to not get penalized. Ultimately, we strive every day whenever our eyes open to hit the ping pong ball representing our hopes, goals, dreams, etc. over the net all-while overcoming our opponent on the other side trying to stop what’s being achieved. In the end, it’s quite possible to achieve a steady balance in the ping pong game of life that doesn’t seem so fast paced and all you need to continually remind yourself is the following words: I’ll give it my best shot.