Never forgetting your beginner’s spirit or what I learned playing badminton over the weekend

It was like any other night. Well, not like any other night. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a message from a friend asking if I wanted to play badminton over the weekend. I didn’t realize that this friend played badminton and since I had not played badminton in a long time, figured what the heck, I might as well check out the facility and get some play time in.

When I got to the gym, I thought that there would be a lot of other players but only saw a few players — all older. I had not realized how old they were until my friend had a chat with them on the sidelines while I was playing. My friend and I played one couple who was actually 68 and 71 and they apparently played four times a week. After playing badminton, I had somehow subconsciously learned a few things as I played them — I usually learn a few things from everybody that I play with and it’s usually badminton tactics or strategies but this time, I learned a few things about life that I wanted to share.

On losing and taking it personally

When I was younger, I took it very personally whenever I lost anything — whether it was a game of badminton or a board game or getting schooled in a video game. It was awful looking back at it at how angry I became and how tilted I was…