Different Strokes

So I played tennis the other day, I"m getting back into it. I played with a group of about 16 that were completely different from the first group of 16 I had played with the prior week, one of the interesting consequences of the modern internet meet-up phenomena. All of these new people were very pleasant and engaging, it was like speed dating for tennis playing. We would play doubles for a set and then move on to the next group. I ponder the positive spiritual outcome of such interactions, with all of these souls swimming through different streams so quickly, finding who you bond with is becoming efficient.
Let's face it, even if you believe that the connections you truly need will be given to you, when you are around rivers of people you make more friends and have the opportunity to date more. Soon, the positive of the school group, the energy and life, will come into our professional life. We will have big social circles in our adult life again, ones that have been fading since before I was born. This is exciting, we have a massive network that allows us to hang out with large groups of people we bond with; I can't wait until it takes off. Or, I should say I can't wait until we have gained a little altitude, because we are certainly at least near the end of the runway.
Aside from this phenomenon, I was amazed at the personality of everyone's tennis stroke. After playing with 32 people, not one was nearly the same. There was the heavy hitter(me), or as I was declared last match, the "loose cannon," a label that I found amusing for historical reasons. There was a man I deemed the "spin master," who was only good at one thing, but when he cast his spell on the ball I had about .5 seconds to guess which way it was going when it hit the court or it was gone. There was the form individual, who barely hit the ball with any effort but somehow it would come back at bizarre speeds catching me off guard, the net player, Mr. Let, as his serves always hit the tip of the net, and the two poor individuals I nailed with my serve. One of which was my first of the match, which I suppose this is where my nick-name originated.
Anyways, I found it infinitely curious, no matter what you train to play there is hardly ever going to be someone you have prepared for in every capacity. Everyone is so different, and there are so many little things that you have to learn about them in order to know how to play them. Just like ourselves, some I get the first game, most it takes time for me to feel comfortable. One good thing about being me is that I can win against anyone, and I can loose against anyone, this keeps me on my toes. It also makes me appreciate losing, I have always liked the challenge of a good loss, because you better bet I'll play until I win. These different strokes make things so interesting though, and allow me to keep learning new and different ways to play and win the game. I imagine someone once said, that if you just enjoy playing the game, then you've already won.