Friday 03 / May / 2024
Waking up early in the morning to play a sport, enjoying a swim or sweating it out during a workout; for staying fit you need an extra commitment and a right work-life balance. My father, though, is ready to play tennis at any time of the day, if, for some reason, the lights are on in my home at 4.30 in the morning, it’s because my dad is prepping for his five o’clock session on the tennis courts.
I’m sure this is a story that takes place (nearly every morning) in many of your homes. We always wonder how our parents do it, how they rise even before the sun does when all we want to do is curl ourselves up into a tight ball and sleep soundly through a series of alarms, each more jarring than the other.
While some of us might roll our eyes and dismiss our folks’ sleeping habits as a random oddity, the truth is that our parents get up early in the morning or attend late-night sports sessions is because they care about themselves and are willing to sacrifice a few more hours of sleep in exchange for the happiness and health that their favourite sport gives them. Neither are these passionate parents few and far between.
A few weeks ago, my family had been invited to a shindig organised by the Indian Social Club to announce the winners of a night-time tennis tournament. There was just one caveat: All of the competitors had to be over the age of 50. About 40 participants — my father included – had competed in the knockout tourney. Among them were the ambassadors of Bangladesh, Germany, and Italy to Oman.
Some of them were accountants, others were managers. Some were doctors, others were engineers. From administrators and teachers to lawyers and scientists, and of course, diplomats, these people had come from all walks of life and from nations all over the world, but were united by a passion for fitness and a love for sport.
These people, having successful lives and flourishing careers, displayed an inspiring quality that is integral to success: Discipline. I had immense respect for these individuals because not only were they living well-balanced lives, but they had displayed the fortitude, belief, and conviction to live this sort of life where their priorities came first and everything else took a back seat for years now, and that was the root of their success.
As with any virtue, the adage holds good here as well: Start them young. It’s only normal to ask ourselves how we can emulate the qualities our parents have been displaying for years now, but as is the case with all things, it comes down to dedication and commitment. It’s only normal to wake up tousle-haired and puffy-eyed for the first few days, but as is always the case, short-term pain leads to long-term gain.
I think it’s about time I wrapped up this column now and got all of my other stuff organised, because I need to wake up at 5:30 tomorrow morning. The discipline, rigour, and dedication put in by my father and his friends has inspired me to follow in their footsteps, and given the way they turned out, I cannot wait to reap the rewards this small sacrifice will bring.
Waking up early in the morning might seem like a tall order; it wasn’t so long ago that we were being forced awake, while our parents chivvied our groggy, half-asleep selves to get ready before the school bus arrived.
We dreamed of the time when we’d be able to sleep in, and we still can. That’s what the weekends are for. We thought it was impossible to do that on a daily basis, but nothing that’s ever worth doing is ever easy. And it is here that I am reminded of a phrase coined by the good folks at Adidas. ‘Impossible is nothing’.
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