May 18, 2026- The next tennis ball

Great things are done when men and mountains meet.

~William Blake

We are not all that different from the golden retriever who cannot resist leaping into the pool over and over, to the point of complete exhaustion, to fetch the tennis ball that keeps being thrown. We just tend to need to change tennis balls more often.

We claim to want carefree lives, free from challenges and struggles, but we don’t mean it. We go searching for challenges. We yearn for the next tennis ball.

Why do we seek these challenges? Because without them, there is no opportunity for greatness. If things are always easy for us, why would we bother to evolve? What would be the point of growth if we’re already big enough to reach everything we need? Why would we become a better swimmer if we can reach the tennis ball from our lounge chair?

As much as we say we would like to avoid challenges, we love them like the dog loves that tennis ball. Intrinsically, we understand that challenges set our path to growth. Ease and complacency will never expose the best that is within us. We all want the best version of ourselves to show up and we know that struggle is an ingredient in the process. Let’s lean into those struggles, moving toward greatness all the while.