upswing

there's something so uplifting about a before and after, about immense improvement. i took a beginning tennis class this semester and experienced just that. at the start of the semester we--twenty-five other students and me--picked up our rackets, awkward in our unexperienced, unathletic hands, and played a very sad game of around the world. i was the third one out. since that pitiful attempt, i've been learning step by step how to hold a racket and how to swing it; how to hit a forehand, backhand, lob, and smash; how to keep score and what things like "luv" and "deuce" mean. i've been learning how to play tennis. each day i've felt a little more comfortable with a ball and a racket. every day i've gotten a little bit better. it's been sixteen weeks since that first day, and today we had our last day of class. and how did we finished it off? with one last game of around the world. this time i was not the third one out. this time i got third place! this game lasted twice as long as the first, and i did ten times better. and i was the only girl left (if that really matters). i know that it might sound like a silly feat, but i'm proud of myself. in my head i see two distinct pictures: one of myself at the beginning of the year and one of myself now. there is a big improvement between the two, a before and after that look very different. i might not be the best tennis player in the world or anything and i don't plan on making it to wimbeldon any time soon, or even on the school's tennis team. to be honest, i'm still not that good. but i'm better than i was. there's been an upswing. i've improved. and i'm proud of that.