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| After two hours of ruthless drilling he still manages to make me smile. |
This blog is primarily about my life lessons and experiences throughout life, right? Well the short answer is "yes." However, I often fail to mention the importance of dependence during your life, or my life. For instance, take a professional athlete. . . Hope Solo in this case. Hope Solo is an extremely talented athlete on her own and has worked her dairy-air off to get to where she is today. But. . . Think about her parents and how hard they have worked and encouraged her through life. Better yet, think of the personal trainers, the coaches, and the teammates that she spends her time with. All of those people are essential for athletes; they are also often referred to as a "team."
I have many marvelous and extraordinary people on my team, not to mention the people that were on my team in the past who were equally so. . . I have my parents and family, who by far are the base of my life. I have my trainer and workout partner: "Carpino" as well as my teachers and academic tutors. I also have my tennis coaches: "Bill", "Roberto", and Dar. These people help me through my day each and ever day. They have mentored me, inspired me, and taught me things that I will never ever forget. You could say that, in a way, they have molded me into the person I am today, which is something that I am very proud of.
However, to be honest, one of the most influential people I have worked with over the years has been one of my coaches: Dar. And I just wanted to take a few minutes and dedicate this post to him and all of the valuable life lessons he has given to me over the years. In fact, I just happened to write my college essay about him. . . And well, here it is. . .
Dar
Whenever I described him my words followed a subconscious template; the man with the thick mustache who iswearing fluorescently flamboyant colors. Everyone knew his name and many of myyoung successors had “hit” with him at the same time and place as I had inyears past. He was a fantastic coach; there was no denying that fact. He lovedtennis and the kids he worked with almost as much.
His repetitiveness could befuriously annoying at times; he was a man who could make any player exhaustedboth mentally and physically, especially me. Usually when I played tennis I wasthe grinder; the person who got every shot back and wore people down in everyway. However, when Dar and I hit, he was the one grinding me; getting everyshot and tearing my lungs to pieces. He would work me till I had nothing left.
But then again, strangely, I lookedforward to my hits with Dar because it was the feeling afterward that made itall seem right. It was much like the feeling the “runner’s high,” where yourendorphins sing beautiful songs because you are too tired to be anything buthappy. It was great, that moment of losing yourself, like being on top of atall snowy mountain looking down over all of the beautiful things you haveaccomplished.
These weren’t the only things thatDar allowed me to accomplish either. In his own unique way he taught me how tonever give up, to fight with everything I had, because in all truth, my futuredid really depend on it. He taught me that it didn’t matter if you werevertically challenged, or if you thought you were to slow, or you didn’t hithard enough; whatever you had within yourself was enough to conquer almostanything.
He taught me that I had enough ofeverything to be the best I could be and that as long as I went with my gutfeeling, that every shot would land inside the court.
Granted it has taken me a little while to get to this feeling. Good gravy, I am lying I am still not completely to this point; I still sometimes feel the need for outside confirmation that I am looking pretty each day. I do have it easy, having a boyfriend and all, but that doesn't give me the excuse to depend solely on his kind words to have a great day. Each and every one of us has to find a happy place, a place inside where we feel genuinely pleased about how we look in the mirror. We need to be okay with ourselves through thick and thin; not cave under the heavy pressures of magazines, TV shows, and other girls. 
