Back In The Game

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“The difference between winning and losing is most often not quitting.” – Walt Disney

My 83-year-old mom has returned to playing ping pong after her infamous ping pong dive where she admitted her competitive nature got the best of her common sense. When my family came over for dinner the other night, my brother asked if she was making any concessions in her game to be safer. She nodded yes and said she’s trying to keep a hand on the table while she plays for stability.

Apparently the physical therapist who’s been working with her on a sciatic issue asked the same thing. Not really convinced by her reply, he asked, “Have you ever considered just saying, ‘Good shot?’”

We all got a good laugh out of that one. It reminded me that I’ve read and seen a lot of great advice about staying in the game, whatever our game may be, lately.

From An Audience of One, the wisdom that we need to choose the path we are going to travel and stick with it. Not that other forks won’t arise in the future but that nothing good comes from wavering at the decision point too long or mourning the path not chosen.

And from WritingfromtheheartwithBrian a pep talk straight out of the Buffalo Bills locker room to be fully present. Brian rousingly writes an hearty exploration of the Bills saying, “Where else would you rather be, than right here, right now?” that reminded me to love the life I have and the path I’m on.

Finally I watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade again recently. In it, Indiana Jones is reading the clues from his father’s grail diary to pass the final challenge to find the grail and save his father’s life. He has to believe as he steps forward into the chasm that a path across the void will unfold. He checks his options one last time, confirms he’s in the right location, and then as he leaps, the path appears.

Decide on the path, commit to being present for it and then have faith to take the leap – it’s about as good as it gets for finding our way through this life.

I’m glad my mom has a strategy to keep safe by keeping a hand on the ping pong table. But equally as relieved she’s still in the game. It just wouldn’t be her if she just watched shots go by!

(featured photo from Pexels)

56 thoughts on “Back In The Game”

  3. So glad your mom is back in the game! Good for her… on many levels.

    On a different note, for anyone who has gotten sidelined from being able to do exercising or just taking better care of their diet, we can get back in the game any time!

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  4. The therapist’s question made me laugh too! And I can imagine how that went over, with your mom’s competitive nature. 😃

    LOVE this, Wynne, “Decide on the path, commit to being present for it and then have faith to take the leap.” Oh yes to that! And thank you for the ping back (is that the right term? My brain’s firing up slowly this morning, but thank you)! Lovely post. ❤️

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  5. We can walk many paths as we age, Wynne. As you and Brian rightly say, the secret is to be present in the moment and enjoy the journey. The exciting thing is not knowing what is up ahead. Great to hear your mom is back playing ping-pong.

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  7. A hand on the table is one way. Covering yourself in bubble wrap is another. Your mom might start a new fashion trend with the latter.

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  8. When I’m 83, I want to be like your mom. She’s my new role model/hero Wynne! She certainly is staying in the game. Thanks for the call out to my blog, but I instead like how you call out the message: “Decide on the path, commit to being present for it and then have faith to take the leap.” I can’t think of a better strategy to make my goals become a reality. Thanks so much for putting into words a few of the things I know that I and others have been thinking about. Awesome to see it on screen. And oh yea, hope your mother continues on her path to recovery and winning the next Ping Pong World Championship!

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      1. Oooh, I like that EW. Well, one of my mom’s mottos is “you just gotta keep moving.” I suspect how we answer Paige’s question depends in part on whether or not we are just keeping moving!

        I like to joke that when it came to me having kids at 46 and 50, I confused people who were used to talking about moms that we new to parenting as “young mothers,” and instead I’m a “mother of young.” But they do keep me moving and young(ish)!

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      3. Oh, I’d take wise mother as a compliment any day! Good question about whether children benefit from parental wisdom. I’d say this about being my very wise father’s daughter – wisdom is definitely not inherited but having wise parents at least indicates that there’s a deeper well of knowledge to mine if you are so inclined.

        What do you think?

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      4. I think there’s some level of osmosis… If you hang out around musicians long enough, does some appreciation of music “rub off” on you? It may not make one a talented violinist all on its own, but it probably helps one to appreciate a good violin concerto?

        My parents both loved reading, and loved learning, and I think that contributed to my love of reading, and love of learning, too.

        Wouldn’t the same work for the deliberation involved in your father’s counseling? Is that not at least a little part of why you’re so good in counseling others?

        It’s a great question, and you’re extremely good at prompting me to think about different topics: THANK YOU. I get a lot out of being in your “sphere”!

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  11. I think many of us agonize over decisions and pathways and the reasons why are often as individual as the person. Discomfort, distrust and fear are big obstacles. I think that many of us still look at others reactions to our choices, coupled with a low level of trust in ourselves, wanting to make the *right* decision. It does get easier with every leap, but the first one can seem insurmountable.

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    1. What a great perspective about that first leap. You’re right – that one is the hardest. And the “low level of trust in ourselves” – that can inhibit so many leaps. Thanks for adding this great wisdom, Deb!

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  12. But, Wynne, I know that if the time comes when your mother may only be able to watch the balls go by (we have an increasing number of friends and acquaintances reaching this point) you WILL appreciate that this is still your mother!

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  13. Your mum is a boss! I think that ‘use it or lose it’ applies here. The more she plays, the less risk she poses to herself, as she keeps reminding her body how to move. That’s amazing because I can’t imagine many 80+ year-olds wanting to take on something so physical! More power to mum!

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  17. Your mom as always sounds wonderful and we can all learn from her and you about being present and staying the game. I love the parallel you drew with the Last Crusade about identifying your path and staying with it. It’s been a long while since I’ve seen the film. Might be worth a rewatch before the new film come out this year.

    Funnily enough, they introduced T and his peers to ping pong last week at daycare. I just need to focus him on keeping the ball on the table and to not whack it at others. 😆 Maybe he can watch Indians Jones with me too! He’d love the scarier scenes.

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    1. I love that they are playing ping pong at daycare. I thought about getting a table for us but they are expensive and I’m worried about the ball whacking too. And maybe whether there’s room for my mom to dive… 🙂

      We’ve been working through the Indiana Jones films – they are really fun. I’d completely forgotten the 4th one (the crystal skull one). But skip the second one…

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