A sweaty day.

There are some games I truly hate! For instance the volleyball and basketball we were wickedly forced to play in high school. I was actually the last person chosen for the teams on more than one occasion. I still remember very vividly standing there, humiliated, hoping that I would at least be the second last. Then, when the true torture started, I would stand there, terrified that the ball would come my way, bringing further humiliation with it! There are other games for which I feel the potential for enjoyment, but this is mitigated by the certainty that I will loose. These would include chess – I once won a game against a four year old, but other than that, my loss record is perfect. The last time I played was with my then husband, and I ended up throwing the chessmen at him. He still, forty years later, brings this up with a bit of pride and a triumphant snicker. I always lose at scrabble, no doubt because I am more interested in making clever words than in cut-throatedly concentrating on getting the highest score. Rachael and I used to play with no score-keeping, and it was far more fun! Then there is tennis. One summer many, many years ago, my friend Sue persuaded me to take lessons with her. Of course, I was the worst in the class, and she the second worst. We played together often in the evenings while out husbands sat on the sidelines watching the kiddies. She always won. I seldom even got the ball back over the net. One day, we were playing by ourselves – no husbands about – and I actually won! This upset her so, that she started crying, and made me promise never to tell her husband! Can you believe it? Took the wind out of my sails a bit, I can tell you! So when my cousin Mark said, “Tennis, anyone?” I naturally declined. Reading my mind, he added, “There will be no humiliation in this game.” I was persuaded, and so played for the first time in thirty years, and wearing Croc’s and a sarong! Marc had a huge bucket of balls, which he gently hit over the net to Steven Kekoa or me, and which we frequently retuned – Kekoa, far more frequently than I! It was super fun! The most fun thing I have done in a long time. We were drenched by the time we were done. I suppose I should change the title of this entry to a “dewy day,” since ladies never sweat – rather, they “dew”.