As I sat down to write this HPPA article, I struggled. There is not much news to report related to the Heritage Palms Pickleball Assoc., but on the other hand, our community is going through a lot of newsworthy changes.
While the Pickleball/Tennis Expansion Project has been at a standstill this summer, we’re hopeful there will be additional courts by February. The Tiki Project is well on its way and the Tennis/PB/Bocce programs will celebrate the retirement of long-time director, Mike Lawver, and welcome in Chad Dyer. These changes will present challenges and disruptions to our community.
As I researched “how to cope with community changes,” the ability to be empathic was a common thread. Empathy is defined as “the ability to emotionally understand what other people feel, see things from their point of view, and imagine yourself in their place.” Research has shown that empathy can be pivotal during peace negotiations. It leads to “prosocial” behavior, including cooperating with others to attain mutual goals. As we, as a community, work through these changing times, it may be helpful to think about the words of the humanitarian Fred Rogers (of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood) … “Imagine what our real neighbors would be like if each of us offered, as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person. There have been so many stories about the lack of courtesy, the impatience of today’s world, road rage, and even restaurant rage. Sometimes, all it takes is one kind word to nourish another person. Think of the ripple effect that can be created when we nourish someone. One kind empathic word has a wonderful way of turning into many.” See you in the Courts.
