A boy's heart

As a young boy back in the ’70s & ’80s, I had access to a back yard with a wall, where I played all conceivable games including golf, mostly alone and sometimes with friends. I have won grand slams in tennis tournaments, taken hat-tricks and score hundreds in cricket games and several acrobatic goals playing against myself and the wall! As the quaint old decades made way to the hectic and demanding 90’s and then to the technological Y2K era, open spaces vanished and games and friends became virtual. I had, therefore, decided a long time ago that if I ever bought an apartment paying through my nose, it would be one with all amenities particularly sporting ones!

So, after several years of trying to make ends meet, when suddenly my planetary positions became favorable and chose to make me an owner, I ensured that a swimming pool, gym, tennis courts, badminton courts etc, were part of the deal! And once we moved in, it was like my childhood had returned. I now had access to a larger backyard, real racquets, and real friends.

Suddenly, work has become a chore and a big bore! I have started making excuses to return home quickly. Like children waiting for their play period, I can’t wait for the day to turn to evening and for me to return to the tennis courts, my new passion. And when I get on the court, I don’t want to return home till I am exhausted.

I have realized that reaching 50 has not curbed or taken away my enthusiasm for sports. Once a sports buff always a sports buff! I also find that things haven’t changed much. Back then, it was my mother who kept yelling at me for always playing and being outside, now, it is my wife.

The rekindling spark of sport has made me ignite another passion in penning these thoughts down. I now know why they say, “A man is always a boy at heart”.