Prince CTS Lightning
Melissa and I headed to our local Salvation Army yesterday (I'm amazed at where you can find those shops!). Our mission was to find a small space heater for our living/dining room. I am proud to report that we were successful thanks to Sharon, our Senior Pastor's wife.
One would think that finding a heater for cheap would have been the highlight of my sojourn to Salvation Army. Think again. Sitting so beautifully in a stash of old beat up tennis racquets were two Prince CTS Lightning 90's circa 1989. I understand that finding 16 year old tennis racquets isn't on the radar of most sane people. But for a mere $60 Hong Kong (about $8 US) I was able to buy back a sweet memory of my youth. You see, these racquets were the first quality, brand new racquets I ever got. I will never forget opening my first one for Christmas; what a day!
Over time I accumulated a few more of the prized Lightning's and still lament the day that I made a switch and began learning the hard lesson that new isn't always better. Come to think of it, I have to learn that lesson on a regular basis (I'm thinking of the 4 PDA's I've gone through over the past few years).
My question is this. What makes me so nostalgic over a couple of old tennis racquets? I played with them last night and realized how heavy and antiquated they were but I couldn't put them down. Why?
I think I am so focused on moving forward that I rarely make the effort to slow down, look back, and reflect. My daughter reminds me of that each day as she changes so quickly. I don't believe that moving forward is a bad thing most of the time. But it sometimes comes with a cost. Much of my life has been spent pushing to move ahead. In retrospect I see that slowing down and pressing on would have almost always been a much keener decision.
My plan is to keep the old relics in my tennis bag. I doubt I'll use them very often and that's okay. Those racquets aren't valuable because of how great they are now (I've got better ones), their value comes in the truth that it's okay to slow down, look back, and consider what I've learned along the way.
One would think that finding a heater for cheap would have been the highlight of my sojourn to Salvation Army. Think again. Sitting so beautifully in a stash of old beat up tennis racquets were two Prince CTS Lightning 90's circa 1989. I understand that finding 16 year old tennis racquets isn't on the radar of most sane people. But for a mere $60 Hong Kong (about $8 US) I was able to buy back a sweet memory of my youth. You see, these racquets were the first quality, brand new racquets I ever got. I will never forget opening my first one for Christmas; what a day!Over time I accumulated a few more of the prized Lightning's and still lament the day that I made a switch and began learning the hard lesson that new isn't always better. Come to think of it, I have to learn that lesson on a regular basis (I'm thinking of the 4 PDA's I've gone through over the past few years).
My question is this. What makes me so nostalgic over a couple of old tennis racquets? I played with them last night and realized how heavy and antiquated they were but I couldn't put them down. Why?
I think I am so focused on moving forward that I rarely make the effort to slow down, look back, and reflect. My daughter reminds me of that each day as she changes so quickly. I don't believe that moving forward is a bad thing most of the time. But it sometimes comes with a cost. Much of my life has been spent pushing to move ahead. In retrospect I see that slowing down and pressing on would have almost always been a much keener decision.
My plan is to keep the old relics in my tennis bag. I doubt I'll use them very often and that's okay. Those racquets aren't valuable because of how great they are now (I've got better ones), their value comes in the truth that it's okay to slow down, look back, and consider what I've learned along the way.
posted by Mike at 10:48 AM
2 Comments:
Mike, I still play with those racquets and am looking real hard for another one. I'd love to buy at least one of them from you depending on the grip size.
I just bought one at a Goodwill and I am thrilled lol !!! I play with older racquets anyway and i am happy to add this one !!!
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