Acts of kindness in a crazy world

Last Tuesday I was going to write and post a blog on "Laughter," but it was a chaotic week. It began with detailed planning and preparation for my work trip to San Diego the next day. I had two days of back-to-back meetings. When I returned, I got up early the next morning to play pickleball. 

I had played four or five games and needed to get to work. However, I told one of my PB partners, “OK, ‘Just one more.” It is sort of comical, as that is a common saying all of us pickleballers have when we are nearing the end of our playing time. It’s similar to the Lay’s potato chips commercial and their tag line- “No one can eat just one!” LOL.

For some reason, the sun was brilliant that morning. As it turned out, I played most of my games on the sunnier side of the court, the last game was no exception. My partner and I had lost the last one, so we were fired up for the win. We started out strong, and were only a few points into it, when all of a sudden, a high ball came to me. With the sun shining brightly over me, I’m not certain if it was just a high ball or a  lob ball aimed deep at the baseline. However, without a thought, I took a slight step back, lost my balance and stumbled backwards. It all happened so fast, but as I started to fall backwards, I vaguely remember trying to catch myself with my hands. Next, the back of my head lightly grazed the ground, and there I was, flat on the ground.

In a matter of minutes, one of my PB friends and our courts manager (Who I affectionately call “my nurse”) came running over with first aid kit. She immediately asked how I was feeling and what I was experiencing in my body. At this point, I was seeing black floaters; however, I found out that was normal, given my fall). She then placed an ice pack ever so gently behind my head and neck and proceeded to call my husband to let him know what had happened and to ask him to come to the park. One of our PB coaches (and a former nurse) came by to evaluate me for concussion symptoms, but he thought that I was fine.

Although I don’t remember the exact course of events and the timing, I remembered immediately praying out loud, asking Jesus to protect me against having a concussion, and that He would take care of me. Earlier that day, my devotional included a scripture verse that reminded me that Jesus is with me wherever I go. It is found in the book of Joshua, chapter 1, verse 9, which says “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” 

After about 20 minutes or so of lying on the ground, my nurse and coach lifted me up slowly to a chair in the shade. The kindness continued. Another friend who had to leave, left his chair for me. Another friend, gave me an ice pack. Another friend drove my car home so my husband could take me home (And, we do not live near the park). A few hours later, yet another friend brought me soup. Finally, other PB friends texted me to see how I was doing. I feel truly blessed to have such a great Pickleball community. It’s the people who make it such a great game!

On a humorous note, one of the first thoughts that popped into my head as I laid there was, “Oh crap, I was going to shave my legs yesterday and I completely forgot!” A wave of embarrassment came over me, and just then, my friend placed a blanket over me to prevent my body from going into shock. I was deeply relieved that my “furry” legs remained unseen to my friends. LOL.

After the fall, my only symptoms were a slight headache and soreness in my body, with the exception of a faded bruise on my hand. I am grateful.

Moral of the story:  Even in this crazy and harsh world, people are still so kind, especially my Pickleball community. 

Lesson learned: The irony is that we’ve worked on high and lob ball drills in our drilling class. I am hoping that now, I will never forget…