Forwards and occasionally sidewards – everyday musings of life

I was “coming out” today. I decided I needed to play it cool and not make a big fuss about my true feelings, despite being ready to share what my heart had been longing for over the past few months. My brain, meanwhile, was whispering, “Are you sure you want to tell anyone about this?”

Today was the day I put my newfound pen-holder grip skills to the test at my Wednesday table tennis session.

Surprisingly, I felt remarkably confident unveiling my new playing style and managed to pass it off without too much drama. My performance dipped a fraction—as expected during a major transition—but on the whole, I actually played with far more consistency than usual.

I left the session feeling genuinely enthused, pleased with how it went, and completely liberated from the struggle of playing in a way that no longer feels natural.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing and sports glory, however. Karen stepped in to help me tackle the final hurdle of getting WhatsApp onto the new phone. She succeeded where AI had failed miserably. Her logical, methodical approach of actually reading the step-by-step instructions paid off in spades. I mean, honestly… who reads instructions?

If only there were an instruction manual on “How to achieve 100% success with the pen-holder grip.”