Sunday, December 25, 2016
I met Steve two years ago through Pickleball. He also taught tennis at a club at which many years ago I was a former tennis pro. A gentle, humble, quiet and kind fellow, Steve had a number of admirable qualities, but my favorite traits of Steve's was his sense of playfulness and joy on the court. His desire to win a game was nearly always surpassed by the sheer fun that Steve found in simply attempting to execute a shot. He was almost Zen in that way. Like a Zen Master, Steve was nearly always "in the moment," and joy was found In the singular act of connecting his paddle to the ball, as if those few mili seconds could be frozen in time. I believe that this ability to discover and extract pure joy from one moment to the next, to exhibit appreciation and gratitude in connections with people and events is what Steve had to teach us all. When he told me he was to coach the El Modena High School's tennis teams, I felt such reassurance that the truly important lessons to be taught through sports to young people would be taught through example by Steve: the ability to pick one's self up and dust off a tough moment so that you could get on with the next; to be respectful to your opponents; and to be gracious, not only in defeat, but in victory as well. Especially in victory. I will miss Steve greatly, but I shall always carry with me the lesson to try to grab ahold of a moment in gratitude, and in that moment be the best of yourself that you can be. God bless you, Steve.
