How awesome is this shot? Sebastian Grosjean kick jumps to attempt an aggressive backhand on a high ball. Its an outright hallmark of athleticism. Pete Sampras' overheads and Boris Beckers diving volleys kinda fabulous. Its the shot (and not necessarily the player in the image) that gets me swooning. The only female player on tour I have seen doing that is Amelie Mauresmo. Its a sheer joy watching her do that. Its a reminder that these guys are not just tremendously talented players, they are also athletes.Some shots like the backhand down the line, I can imagine myself hitting one day....but I cant visualize myself hitting this shot anytime soon. Wont stop me from trying though.
A hiatus is basically defined as a pause in the flow of things. But in many ways for the person undergoing it...it is anything but. Life is a roller coaster...but it is at its wildest during the hiatus. Last month I moved out of my project and in the hiatus that ensued, secured about five offers and felt pretty good about myself...I also then got smacked on my face twice by Google(i refuse to elaborate...i have only recently recovered and do not intend to relive it) and felt pretty unwanted for awhile.I proceeded to realize a philosophy based on the following.In more or less the same time frame, Roger Federer after the brief winter break, went about the routine of securing his 10th Grand Slam without having to play even more set then he had to (yep...without losing a single set). Serena Williams blazed away to another championship making it look like she was never away. Sourav Ganguly, also after a much debated time out, relit the dying flames of his cricketing career by some solid performances and made all his critics (including me) look like a bunch of vultures who love scavenging on scraps of legends. Virendra Sehwag is also currently on a break and attempting a much touted come-back in the series against SriLanka. The list goes on and on...Zaheer Khan, Anil Kumble et al.My point; I believe what they do in this time away from the spotlight is what contributes most to the character of these men. The work behind the scenes being cardinal to the mind blowing performances that eventually result. I derive faith from these men to believe that the ugly face of a hiatus is but a disguise behind which lies a blessing. So the next time I crib about my 4 weeks of forced vacation, I will think of how much I learned; about how I finished a 500 page book on Algorithms for a 60 min interview. If wisely handled a hiatus can turn from a chink in the armour to a weapon in the arsenal.
