We all crave freedom. Freedom from, and freedom to.

Freedom from persecution, freedom from starvation, poverty, slavery, freedom from gloating Arsenal fans and all manner of horrible things.
Freedom to vote, freedom to live as I please, to pray as I please, to not pray as I please, freedom to enjoy road-rage. And to do all manner of nice things.

Like tennis.

Man’s greatest freedom. Ok, this man’s greatest freedom. To run around like a mad thing, chasing little yellow balls in the hope of hitting them so hard they don’t come back. I didn’t say all freedoms were clever. But tennis has been off the agenda for about 6 weeks. My shoulder physio banned it. Every week, the same question, the same answer. Not yet. Not ready. Still healing.

So I was faced with a choice. Wait for the shoulder to recover completely (assuming it will at some point), or find another physio. Not necessarily a better one, just one who thinks playing tennis is not such a bad idea. And yesterday I found just such a thing. Who happens to be rather brilliant too, but that was way secondary to giving me the permission I sought so desperately.

Recommended by half my tai chi class (all old, pre-injured, sports-wounded men who, like me, just don’t know any better), I went to see ‘Mike’. He’s big, he’s blond and he’s funny. And he hurt me like a motherfucker, but in the fullness of time I shall forgive him. Because when I asked about tennis his reply was: “does it make you happy?” to which I replied in the affirmative. “So play” he said, “and then we’ll cope with whatever happens after”.

It was that simple. I’m not saying he’s right, I’m not saying everyone would agree with his ethos. But it appealed greatly to me. Whereas my old physio, she was different. Way more cautious, way more protective, way more… female. Some might say ‘more sensible’, but those saying that would probably be female too. Because, as we learned the other day; men’s and women’s brains are different. Maybe its just two different schools of thought in the physio world, and nothing to do with gender?

I’ve never ‘erred on the side of caution’, but I’ve erred plenty.

Spurs win 5-0, England beat the Aussies in the amazing rugby, the omens are good.

Playing tennis this morning.

Very Happy Sunday

A xxxxx