November

Pickleball Newsletter

Dear Pickleballers,

As many of you already know, in 2024 I will be transitioning into spending more time down closer to my kids in California and also exploring the possibility of living in Mexico. This means that I will not be giving pickleball lessons and clinics on a regular basis anymore. It has been such a fun journey developing clinics, meeting so many wonderful people through teaching lessons, bringing pros to our little valley, and creating learning, connecting, and playing opportunities for the pickleball community. I will keep teaching at RVCC on most Tuesday afternoons between 1pm-6pm through December 5th. My last day at Lithia Park will be Tuesday morning October 31st. I'll be traveling to see my daughter in Denmark in December and then back to Ashland in January. I'll still be around town as I have my real estate work which I will continue through 2024 and which does keep me pretty busy! I'll likely send out a Newsletter update from time to time which will contain pickleball news and general info on my own life and travels. If you'd like to receive those just stay subscribed to this newsletter. If not, there is a link at the bottom to unsubscribe.

 

The past two years have been a time of indecision and uncertainty for me as I transitioned from being the sole caretaker of my three kids to being an empty nester. A time of reflection and grief, freedom and excitement. A time of darkness and energy, pain and light. All the things. Giving myself time to reflect and stay with and feel all the feelings has been difficult indeed as my tendency is to find a distraction from sitting with the pain of life transitions. So here I am. As I have considered what is next my thoughts continually return to my husband Derek, who I loved dearly and whose life ended way too early. He died from cancer at age 29. He is still the bravest person that I know and faced his terminal diagnosis with unbelievable courage. I remember him expressing tremendous grief that he would not live long enough to be the father he dreamed of being to our 1 year old son as he grew into a man. And so, in that spirit, I ask myself... If I were given a terminal diagnosis in 2 years or 5 years or next week, how do I need to live my life each day so that I do not look back and say "Damnit, I should have done ____ while I still had my health! Too late now." Because I know that's what Derek would want for me. I know that's what my grown up kids want for me. It took a little time and self-examination to want that for myself fully and passionately enough to jump off the cliff, spread my wings, and just go for it.

 

So 2024 will be a year of transition and I don't exactly know what the timeline will look like. And that's ok. All I know is that I am moving in a direction that will build a future that feels authentic to who I am. My priority now is to get things back in my life that have fallen by the wayside of busy-working-single-mom dealing with kids-chronic-medical-issues land. Things that are really me at the core... classical music and playing flute, writing, dancing, art, wilderness trekking and vision quest adventures, desert hikes and ocean surfing, living simply, exploring healing through connection and story and nature and grief ritual. Derek only got 29 years. That was it. I'm at 49, with an unknowable number of days, months or years left for me to spend here. I am determined to make the very most of every single one of them and live as authentically to my own true self and inner voice as I possibly can. For Derek. For my three beautiful, amazing, all-grown-up children. But most of all, for myself.

With Much Pickleball Love,

Shelly

Upcoming Events:

RVCC Women's Round Robin

Friday Night October 27th 6pm-8:30pm

RVCC Clinics

Saturday October 28th 12-4pm

 

There are a couple of spots left!

 
Learn More & Sign Up

Still need your Pickleball Lesson fix?

Take lessons and clinics from these lovely people:

Linda Gray: 925-324-0756 or lindawoodrowgray@yahoo.com

Dayton Mason: 541-625-3585 or daytonmasonmusic@gmail.com

Beth Coker: 541-601-5714 or cokerbeth@gmail.com

Tell them that I sent you their way!

Join SOPA!

 

If you spend money on ONE pickleball related thing this year, make it a SOPA membership at $35/year! Community is how we get more courts, more events, and more people playing pickleball!

 
SOPA Website
Ashland, OR, USA
541-631-1400

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