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I had my second match of the fall season today and won: 6-3, 6-1. Wooo! My opponent was the sweetest person, and a full-time Web writer for a Chicago university. Her stamina ran out after the first set, but she was cheerful about it. Stamina is one of my strong points. She commented that she was surprised my serves were just as strong in the second set as the first. It took me a while to get into the serving groove today, but once I did, I locked it down. That’s a good feeling. She must have said “Great serve!” 20 times. Like I said, total sweetie.

A friend came out and sat on the hill and (silently) cheered me on for a while. That was sweet. Thanks, James! :) The weather was dynamic but beautiful, with cloud cover then sun, calm then strong wind. I focused intensely on work this week, and a few incidents caused some stress, so I needed to get some tension out today. This was just the ticket.

Playing these days is in some ways much more fun than when I played competitively in high school. At a certain point back then, the expectation to win was ever-present. But now, since it’s mostly for exercise and fun, I can just relax, enjoy, and really get in the zone. Also, I am more mature, and I know better how to take some deep breaths, calm myself down, and execute with confidence.

I remarked to my opponent that at least 2/3 of our lost points were due to unforced errors — though we did both hit some good winners.

My next lesson with my awesome coach is on Tuesday. I’m enjoying this! And I can already see that my tennis legs are starting to come back. Gotta love that!

I have been working for hours today on a large magazine feature on sustainable landscape architecture, and while researching some of the most progressive initiatives by cities leading the green movement—Portland, Seattle, Chicago, and more—reading about all these wonderful new programs and ideas, tears came to my eyes. This one in particular touched me:

“The Portland Multnomah Food Policy Council asked Portland City Council to create a garden at City Hall to inspire Portland residents to plant their own gardens and an extra row for the hungry. The Commissioners passed the Better Together Garden resolution on Earth Day, April 22, 2009.”

One of the points I am making in the story is that it’s about time the ecologists and horticulturalists who have been fighting to protect the environment for decades are finally getting their chance to shine. It is truly inspiring.

I had my first lesson with the tennis coach today, and oh my, it was terrific. I feel like a million bucks! We agreed we are going to meet 3 times a week for the duration of the good weather season, and then see where to go from there. First we met at a coffee shop near the university tennis courts, and talked about his business and goals, as well as my tennis goals. Then we hit the court, and he gave me a KILLER workout. He kept firing balls at me, and I just kept running and swinging, getting the heart rate way up, totally having fun.

The main thing he taught me today is how to use topspin effectively. We went through the forehand technique, and then he drilled me on it, correcting my form and instructing me all the while. I never really learned topspin that well, and that’s one of the main deficiencies that has held back my game. He called my forehand “a cannonball”, and said it’s so powerful that I can usually get away with playing flat — but with the techniques he’s teaching me, I’ll be able to get even more power out of it with greater physical efficiency. While drilling, I got glimmers of the potential, and I definitely see his point.

He hinted that future skills development will include strengthening my backhand, mastering topspin on both sides, incorporating spin into my serves, improving my footwork, and learning how to determine when the game calls for the big, energy-intense shots and when I can play more conservatively and reserve some energy. That’s a lot!

I have never had a dedicated personal coach, let alone one who is such an accomplished player with so much knowledge and experience. I feel very lucky to have found him, and the beauty of this arrangement is that I know he’s going to get just as much value out of what I do for him as I am getting. And on top of all this, his long-term vision and life purpose that he described to me is highly admirable and totally in line with my own vision of the world and the good we can do within it.

He wants me to get a new racket. He says I am playing with an old, intermediate racket, but he wants me to have an advanced racket to play an advanced game. I actually love my racket, but I am sure the technology has come a long way since I got it. If I remember correctly, mine was a hand-me-down in high school from my brother, and I have played with it ever since. The coach told me a friend of his just got a great racket and bag on Craigslist for $50, so that’s promising.

I am very excited about the potential for this partnership in terms of my tennis game, fitness level, business portfolio, contribution I can make to his work, and many, many lessons, both personal and professional, that I will learn from it. I am so glad I cast out this line into the universe. I could not have landed a better opportunity!