IT'S 7 AM ON THURSDAY...DECEMBER 8TH...2010.  TODAY'S...THE DAY!  MY LAST USTA TOURNAMENT WAS THIS ONE...A YEAR AGO.  HMMM  THERE JUST SEEMS TO BE THAT COMPETITOR INSIDE ME THAT NEEDS TO PLAY...AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR.  THIS IS A GREAT TOURNAMENT...WELL-ORGANIZED BY MANY VOLUNTEERS AND ALICE HING.  IT IS A ...'SENIOR'...TOURNAMENT SO YOU CAN FIND THE CORRECT AGE LEVEL, AND ENTER.  I PREFER SINGLES...ALWAYS HAVE, SO THIS GETS ME BACK AFTER PLAYING DOUBLES ALL SUMMER.  IT'S A ...'WHOLE NEW BALLGAME'...FOR SOME OF MY BEST...'DROP SHOTS'...WOULD GO RIGHT TO THE NET PLAYER...IN DOUBLES.  MANY OF US...IN RETIREMENT, MIGHT SAY:  'I USED TO PLAY TENNIS'...'I USED TO SWIM'...'I USED TO SING'...'I LOVED TO DANCE'...'YEARS AGO I:  GOLFED, WROTE POETRY, HIKED,TRAVELED,WALKED EVERYWHERE,PAINTED,GARDENED,WROTE SHORT STORIES,BAKED BREAD AND COOKIES,ETC.  ON AND ON YOU CAN GO WITH SOME OF THOSE THINGS YOU...'USED'...TO DO!  HMMM???  WHY ON EARTH...HAVE YOU STOPPED?  IT'S YOUR DECISION TO STOP...YOU KNOW!  YOU MIGHT SAY:  'I'M OVERWEIGHT!' (SO AM I!)...'I'M OVER 60!'  (SO AM I!)...'I WOULD LOOK... FOOLISH!'...(IF YOU ARE...'STILL!...AFRAID OF WHAT SOME WILL...'SAY'...[AT...'ANY AGE!']...YOU NEED TO...'LIGHTEN UP'...A LITTLE!!) HMMMMMMMM  KEEP IN MIND THAT MY...'THOROUGH RESEARCH'...ON MYSELF, FOUND...'CONCLUSIVELY'...THAT YOU CAN BE...'HEALTHY AND HAPPY'...AND IT DOESN'T HAVE A THING TO DO WITH:  YOUR AGE AND WEIGHT!!!  'THE ONLY ONE...'STANDING IN OUR WAY'...IS...'YOURSELF!(ME)  KEEPING THE ...'FOCUS' (AS I WILL TODAY ON THE TENNIS COURT)...ON YOURSELF, FINDING OUT WHAT REALLY IS:  'THE REAL YOU'  YOU, ALONE...NEED TO DO THIS WITH...BELIEF IN YOURSELF...APPRECIATION OF YOURSELF...LETTING GO OF ALL THOSE OLD (PAST) THOUGHTS THAT...'YOU ALONE'...DECIDE TO CLUTTER THAT MIND (BRAIN) OF YOURS, AND WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE...LIVE IN THE BEST PART OF YOUR LIFE! (THE NOW!)  WITH YOUR NEW-FOUND ENTHUSIASM FOR LIFE, AND WHAT YOU (ALONE) ARE ABLE TO DO WITH EXCITEMENT FOR...'WHATEVER COMES YOUR WAY'...YOU WILL FIND THAT:  'IT'S TIME TO BLOOM!'  WHEN YOU START BELIEVING IN YOURSELF (KNOWING THAT THERE IS A PURPOSE AND PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE...YOU DECIDE...YOUR CHOICE/BELIEF) IT BECOMES: SO EASY...AND BEGINS TO MAKE SENSE...TO YOU, THAT YOU FIND THAT KEEPING YOUR MIND AND BODY...'ACTIVE'...ALL THE TIME (HOWEVER YOU CHOOSE), YOU NO LONGER WILL HAVE ROOM FOR:  DOUBT...HATE...ENVY...JEALOUSY...ANGER, ETC.  (FOR YOU ARE TOO BUSY...BEING...'YOU!' )  IT'S UP TO YOU TO FIND OUT.  AS WE TENNIS PLAYERS SAY:  'THE BALL IS IN YOUR COURT!'  SPEAKING OF TENNIS...HMMM, IT'S 7:45 AND I WILL LEAVE AT 9 FOR SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA...TO A FUN DAY...WITH KAREN!  YEARS AGO...I WOULD SAY:  'THE ONLY TIME I HAVE CONTROL OF MY LIFE...IS ON THE TENNIS COURT!'  HMMM  YES...NOW I HAVE FOUND...'TRUE HAPPINESS AND HEALTH'...ALL AROUND ME, AND ALL I NEED TO DO IS:  'OPEN MY EYES...AND LOOK, REMEMBERING THAT WHATEVER I CHOOSE TO DO...'EACH DAY'...IS UP TO ME!'  'CHOOSE WISELY'...AND START ENJOYING THIS LIFE, WITH A NEW ATTITUDE...AND ...THANKFULNESS AT WHAT YOU DO HAVE...LEFT!  CAROLE  E   ####################
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###UPDATE###  7:30 AM ON FRIDAY...DECEMBER 10TH...2010 :  KAREN AND I REALLY ...'MADE A DAY OF IT!'  THE LAST TIME WE WERE TOGETHER WAS IN OCTOBER AT THE GARRISON KEILLOR SHOW IN ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.  IT WAS ANOTHER 74 DEGREE DAY...NO WIND...NO HUMIDITY AND A PERFECT DAY TO PLAY TENNIS.  I TOOK LOTS OF PICTURES...BEFORE-DURING-AFTER...THOSE MATCHES AND WILL GET THEM UP HERE...AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.  I WILL SUM UP THE MATCH...AS FOLLOWS:  I WAS THE TURTLE IN THIS MATCH...AND SHE WAS THE RABBIT.  HER SERVE WAS EXCELLENT, AS WERE HER...'DROPSHOTS'...THAT STOPPED ANY...'LONG RALLIES'...IN THE MATCH.  SHE WAS BETTER THAN I WAS. (I ACCEPT THAT FACT...AND HAVE NO...'EXCUSES'...AS TO WHY I DIDN'T WIN...WHAT I SHOULD HAVE DONE...'PERIOD!')  IT'S OVER...I AM SO GLAD I ENTERED, FOR I HAD TO PROVE...'SOMETHING'...TO MYSELF:  MY...'MENTAL ATTITUDE'...IS AS SHARP, AS EVER'...'I NEVER GAVE UP!'...'I FELT GOOD ON THE COURT, REALIZING THAT THE...'MOVEMENT'...WASN'T THERE, AND I WOULDN'T BE...'FOOLISH'...AND BREAK MY NECK GOING AFTER A WELL-PLACED DROP SHOT, I MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN!'  I KNOW MY BODY...VERY WELL...AND DON'T PUT IT IN A...'POSITION THAT MAY CAUSE IT HARM.'  I REALIZE WHAT I HAVE TO ...'WORK WITH'...AND ACCEPT MY...'LIMITATIONS'...FOR NOW!  MY RESEARCH (ON MYSELF) THIS SUMMER, CONCENTRATED ON THE...'MENTAL ASPECT'...OF MY LIFE, ONLY!'  MIND AND BODY, HMMM, TO GET BOTH OF THESE UP TO...'CAPACITY'...WORKING AT 90%...IS MY GOAL.  THE DE-CLUTTERING OF MY...'COMPUTER, WITHIN'...(KNOWN AS THE BRAIN)...TOOK MUCH LONGER THAN I HAD ANTICIPATED!  KNOWING THAT I WANTED TO GET MY BRAIN INTO ...'PROPER FUNCTIONING'...BY ELIMINATING (ALL..?)...'NEGATIVITY, THE PAST, ANGER, JEALOUSY, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, FEAR, HATE, GOSSIP, WORRY, ENVY, GREED, ETC., ETC.   I, LIKE THIS COMPUTER I AM ON RIGHT NOW,  NEEDED TO...'DELETE'...(MY CHOICE)...WHAT I FELT WAS CAUSING ME TO BE RATHER...'SLUGGISH'...NOT WORKING UP TO MY...'POTENTIAL!'  LIKE EVERYTHING...'IT TAKES TIME.'  IT TOOK SO LONG, AND WAS SO...'INTENSIVE'...IS BECAUSE OF ME.  I DIDN'T WANT TO DO A...'SLIP-SHOD'... JOB ON MYSELF...I DECIDED ON THE...'PREMIUM TREATMENT'...(LIKE YOU CHOOSE WHEN YOU TAKE YOUR CAR IN TO GET WASHED)  HMMM  IT'S YOUR CHOICE!  YOU MAY DECIDE ON THE...BASIC/CHEAPER ONE, OR YOU MIGHT DECIDE TO GET:  THE PREMIUM...COSTS MORE...BUT IT IS A MUCH MORE THOROUGH JOB! HMMM  I HAVE OWNED...MANY CARS...CLEANING THEM, MANY TIMES WITH A HOSE...AND A SPONGE...IN MY YARD.  IT USUALLY LOOKED...'NICE'...ON THE OUTSIDE, HMMM, BUT WHAT WAS ON THE INSIDE?...YOU REALLY COULDN'T TELL (OR JUDGE)...WHAT THE INSIDE LOOKED LIKE, AND HOW ABOUT THAT...'ENGINE'??? (DOES THAT ENGINE, 'REALLY PURR LIKE A KITTEN?') YES...I HAVE MANY CARS, BUT I ONLY HAVE...'ONE BODY!'  I FINALLY HAVE DECIDED...TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT!  NOW...SINCE THE INSIDE IS DEFINITELY...READY, I NOW...CAN WORK ON THE OUTSIDE!  I HAVE QUITE A JOB...AHEAD OF ME, AND I WILL...

ACCOMPLISH THIS ASSIGNMENT!  OH YES...I LOST:  6-0, 6-1, BUT IT FELT SO GREAT...TO BE ON THAT COURT...AGAIN.  CAROLE  E  8:30 AM