Hi everyone,
Last year I blogged on the historic final of Wimbledon when the great Federer outlasted Andy Roddick in a marathon five set match. Well, now there is a new score to set all records, one that at first glance doesn't even make sense. After 11 hours of play over three days, American player John Isner won the fifth set, 70-68 against a qualifer by the name of Nicholas Mahut. There is no tie breaker in the fifth set, and they had to play game after game, and neither man was willing to admit defeat. In an Herculean effort, both players battled on one point at a time, even when they were nearly too weak to stand. Neither man lost that day. Both men were honored by the press, the adoring fans, and were given gifts by Wimbledon for bringing so much heart, and desire, and fortitude, to the game. They brought the tennis world to a standstill. They were heroes and for that one moment in history, or 11 hours in history, they did something that will never be repeated.
We as writers do that everyday. We don't quit. We don't cry foul. We battle on, word after word, sentence after sentence, book after book. We perservere during hurricanes, during illness, during economic crisis, through all the goods times and the bad. Not for financial game, because we all know there isn't much of that. We do it for the love of the game. We do it because we can't imagine our life without it. It doesn't define us, but it makes us stronger, more complete than we'd be without it. We follow our dreams, and we thank the good Lord that we still have them.
So here's raising a cyber glass to all of us dreamers. Dream big, dream on, and never give up.
Patrice
Patrice, I watched part of THAT historical game. My DH has been glued to the TV for days, shifting between the World Cup and wimbledon. Right now the TV is on while we watch Rodick and Lu, and I am on my computer.
I'm a mad Roddick fan, so I'm glued to, but I'm not happy with the way he's playing. Doing a lot of nail biting!
I believe we should reserve the term "hero" for someone who risks his/her life, but those two men were certainly amazing, courageous, determined, and a whole dictionary of other adjectives.
Jan, of course you're right. And you said it better than me!
Hi Patrice.
Hubby watched some of the game, he couldn't believe how long it went for. What stamina those two players had. And that is exactly what we writers need - stamina, to keep on going no matter how many rejections and bad reviews etc that we get.
cheers
Margaret
Patrice what an amazing parallel you've drawn. I watched the world cup the other night when Greece played, the went on for what seemed like hours with the score 0-0. I'd never stopped to watch before, but my young guest is an avid soccer player and she was caught in the the game. Amazing, and not just the action. Those men are hot! I've found a new past time.
Patrice,
I read about this in the newspaper. I believe one of the players was from Greensboro, NC, which is near us. We live outside of Charlotte, NC.
We watched the match - from time to time. My son is a blooming tennis star and tennis is on quite often in my house.
Thank you everyone for responding. Nice to hear from you Margaret, Scarlett, Joanne and P.L.
Sports have a way of bringing people together, either as an individual sport or one for the nation. So do writers. We understand each other in a way that no one else can. We may not win many matches, but we fight the fight, learn and grow, and do the best we can.
Patrice, Loved your post, drawing a parallel to writing. I do feel on certain days that like the players I have to keep slugging or kicking or hitting away to get to my goal. But there's no way I could get out of the game of writing!
Well, that match and those players will probably be remembered long after people forget who won the tournament in the end, won't they? But they display a good lesson in not giving up.
Nice parallel. I didn't watch the game but I enjoyed your post.
Thanks Judy, Kristin, and Caroline.
I appreciate you taking the time to read the post. Obviously, I love tennis, and this match, although impossible to watch it all, showed the spirit and heart that it takes to make your dreams come true. Their display of good sportsmanship also said a lot about the two gentlemen.
Excellent blog, Patrice. I've heard that we can't lose until we give up.
Sometimes it takes pure guts to keep going.
How many rejections should we need to tell us it's time to quit? Is there a number?
How long is too long to keep trying?
I'll probably try to make a sale on the way to be buried, that one last pitch or submission.
Wow! 11 hours. I would be in the ground.
You are so right, Patrice. It is the person who doesn't give and gives it all that in the ends wins the ultimate prize. Respect.