Summer Journal: Rainy Days

It's the first day of summer, and as my wife and I got up this morning, a thunderstorm rolled through Goshen.  It was frustrating, but it was really fitting.

Last night, I made the rounds to graduation parties.  I got to go to four different parties yesterday, all for tennis players.  It was supposed to be a grand celebration of things accomplished, but I had the feeling of a parent letting their children go.

I have to be honest, I'm not a fan of graduation parties.  First of all, I pretty much only go to the parties of tennis players.  So I care deeply about all of my players, and there's a bit of sadness watching them move on from the team, knowing that I won't see them at practice or school.  Going to graduation parties reminds me of what our team is losing.

Of course, like anything, it's not one sided.  There's also a pride in knowing that I've been privileged to be a part of such special guys lives.  I wish there was a better place to share this with all of them, but at the parties there are so many people talking to the graduates, it feels like an impersonal setting to discuss what a graduate has meant to the team, what I hope for their future, etc, etc.

So, yesterday kind of felt like the real end of last year's team.

And therefore, today was to be the first day of this year's team.

We were going to get together this morning and start some workouts.  I am actually really excited about some of the morning workouts that we've got planned this year.  If guys commit to it, I think it will make us really competitive next year.  And so I got up early with my wife to workout so that I could be ready to hit with several guys at 7:30.  I was pumped, and that sounds stupid, but I'm already ready for the tennis season to start.

Then the rain.

Oh well, better rain this week than during Team Camp next week.  I hope this doesn't continue, because I'm starting to get nuts about not being able to play!