Wonder Women

We Can Still Win

I'm on a USTA tennis league and have been for the past 2.5 years. There are many aspects of playing that I enjoy, but the one that has been a particular blessing lately is the opportunity to work on my thinking. 

You wouldn't think that I would be nervous on the tennis court, being a speaker who's comfortable with any size crowd. But when I first started the league, my anxiety was crippling. The second I thought about losing the point or double faulting, that's exactly what happened.

I've been reading a variety of books on the mental game of tennis, but this one really convinced me that no matter how far behind I am, I can still win. The author gives many examples of pros who just gave up and lost matches that were theirs for the taking and other examples of players who seemed to come back and win against impossible odds. The key to winning? Believing that you can.

A couple of weeks ago, my partner and I handily won the first set of a match, then fell apart in the second, and finally lost the tie break. Yesterday, we seemed to be repeating that disappointing pattern. We won the first set without much trouble, then soon found ourselves down 5-2! If you know anything about tennis, you know that the other team just needed one more game to win the set. 

I could see the discouragement and frustration in my partner and I could feel it developing in me. Then I told her, "We're going to pull a David Freese and win this set." She smiled. When either of us made an error from that point forward, I made a point of saying, "That's okay. We can still win." Many times we were in a David Freese, World Series kind of way by being one point away from losing the set (though not the match). I felt the pressure, but refused to give in. Neither did my partner. We came back to win the set and match 7-5. 

The truth of Allen Fox's words became very clear to me on the tennis court, but they've become clear to me in life, too. Maybe you're against impossible odds like:

• You're getting older and you still haven't met "the one."
• You've filled out dozens of job applications and you're still unemployed
• You have a hundred pounds or more to lose
• You've been trying to conceive for months to no avail
• Your house is such a mess that it seems it would take a team months to clean it out
• You've been unhappily married for years and nothing you've tried has worked
• You have an addiction you just can't beat
• You're tens of thousands of dollars in debt
• Your loved one is elderly and still hasn't received Christ

While it's true that the right attitude doesn't guarantee victory, I believe it's also true that no matter how far behind you are, you can still win. I could give you examples of people I know personally who've experienced an unexpected victory in these situations. The key? Believe that you can.

Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27)

Photo Credit

A Fine Thing

Melanie has a real problem with library fines--always has. In graduate school, she racked up hundreds of dollars worth of fines. The only thing that saved her was the university's policy of forgiving the fines as soon as the books were returned.

Last year, Melanie kept putting off returning her library books and racked up a substantial fine. She wasn't too happy when the librarian who took her fine payment turned out to be someone she knew--from Bible study no less!

I had determined to help poor Melanie. I wanted her to be a better steward of her money by not paying library fines. I planned to send her email reminders myself. But today I received an email from my homeschooling support group about a service that will do the reminding for me automatically! If your library is served by www.libraryelf.com, you can ask the free service to remind you of your holds, future overdues, and past dues when you need them. I set mine up to remind me DAILY that I have overdue items. Isn't that a fine thing?

Why Oh Why Did I Buy?

I just ordered a new bedding set for my bedroom. Our current set is off-white and dry-clean-only. Eight years' worth of up to six kids has taken its toll on the set. It was expensive and is great quality, but the huge dry cleaning bill and a desire for something new motivated me to order from www.Ebay.com. I ordered a complete King set including sheets, throw pillows, curtains, and shipping for less than $150.00. That should have clued me in to the quality being poor, but no! Now I have to return the set that looks like it's made from cheap pajama fabric at a cost of more than $30!

It often pays to spend more for better quality. There are online sites that have reviews of many products, but when you need the best information on what to buy, my friend and Wonder Sister, Jenn, turns to Consumer Reports online. She writes:

I subscribe to consumer reports online each year. It’s 26.00 but it is really my “go to” site for checking out what product to buy.  I think it’s much better than subscribing to the magazine because who can remember all that they recommended and who wants to search through all of those magazines to try and find which iron they think is best?????LOL

I used www.consumerreports.com before we purchased a new car and the fee was/is just $5.95 for a month. Well worth the price if you're making a significant purchase. Thanks, Jenn!

Do you have a great tip to share with other Wonder Women wannabes? Email me at melphd@aol.com and I'll share it here.