Sweet Spots

When I was learning to play tennis, my coaches taught me to hit the ball in the 'sweet spot' of the racket - the point at which you generate the most spin and most power with the least amount of effort. You could feel it when you hit a shot just right, when you nailed the sweet spot, just by the way the ball came off the racket. The racket didn't kick back, it simply absorbed the shock, and the stroke felt almost effortless. You were still working hard, but things felt easy. The shot would often go exactly where you meant it to go, and it reminded you how good it felt to get things right.

Lately, I've been thinking that I'm at a sweet spot in my life. One of those times when things seem to have fallen into place just right. I'm definitely working hard, but things feel 'easy' for right now. I don't expect it to stay that way, but I'm savoring it for what it is.

I'm getting farther into the new job, and I'm enjoying it tremendously. Again, it's still the honeymoon phase, I don't expect it to stay that way, but I'm enjoying it for what it is right now. Most of the people I have contact with at work with talk about how great the partner I work with is, and how great some of the other folks I work closely with are. Thus far, it's proven true, and I'm realizing just how much I learned over the last several years. It's a good feeling.

There's a song playing on XM right now by Of Monsters and Men called "Little Talks." Of Monsters and Men is an Icelandic group I believe, and their accents are awesome to listen to. This song is a little folksy, but thought provoking to listent to, and I like the dialogue format - a woman and man trading lyrics throughout the song. One of the verses, quoted below, gets to me some mornings on the drive to work -

Some days I feel like I'm wrong when I am right.
Your mind is playing tricks on you my dear.

There have been times where I've felt like that, like my mind was playing tricks on me, like I couldn't trust a damn thing I thought. It's a very odd, frustrating, annoying, frightening feeling. I think maybe having been in that place at one point, I appreciate the sweet spots all that much more.