August has always meant family gatherings, beach days, ripe peaches and fresh corn and a string of long hot afternoons that drag straight into a starry night. For as long as I can remember August has ruled the summer. Bathing suits and towels slung over deck railings, everyone talking around a table filled with farm fresh everything, sandy feet padding about on sandy paths, berries popping from vine to mouth and all the time in the world to do nothing. Hands down August wins every time.
There has been tennis, tennis and more tennis happening in my house this week. Tennis watching on the tele that is, well, it is the US Open after all, with a bevy of excellent players from the US crafting some stunning matches, 25 citizens competing this year. To be fair, there are players representing dozens of countries, coming together here as friendly competitors despite politics or national differences. Watching these young athletes is pure joy and absolutely inspiring, yet I found myself ruminating over the term “unforced error.” Commentators throw out the term with no thought over its brutal implication. The error is yours. You should have made the shot, but you didn’t. You are the only cause of your losing game. Brutal, right?
Nine Cent Girl 