How pickleball saved my sanity

36.5 million pickleball players?

According to the 2023 APP Tour’s Pickleball Participation Report, there are 36.5 million pickleball players in the United States.

WTF is all the rage over pickleball?! I was so curious. Could this sport really be that fun? I loathed tennis the few times I tried to learn it.

I decided to take a pickleball 101 clinic during the December holiday break. A large new indoor court facility had opened in a neighboring town. Conveniently located about 4 miles from my house, I had no excuse.

I was blessed to sign up with an incredible coach. Guy is super patient and made it a point to know each player by name. He’d encourage, critique, and monitor our drills and guided play.

Each week I’d make a little more progress in the “Advanced Beginners with Guided Play” clinic. I loved the camaraderie and playing a sport where I wasn’t competing. It was pure fun.

Cue major family health crisis. Job loss. Death of a good friend. All within one horrific month.

Pickleball to the rescue

And what saved the day? You guessed it. Pickleball.

Between not knowing anyone in the weekly clinic and keeping my mind and body in constant motion, there was no time to think, grieve, or question. It was the most incredible form of therapy I could’ve experienced.

After nearly six weeks I’m still happily in my beginners advanced clinic…and I wouldn’t change a thing. I even finally committed to my own pickleball paddle and sneakers.

Yes, I now have a newfound appreciation for this trendy sport that’s taken the nation by storm.

Now it’s your turn. What have you discovered to be incredibly therapeutic when you least expected it?