There are very few things in my life that make me forget where my phone is. That's not something I'm proud of. Just being honest here.
My phone is usually within arm's reach because... "What if someone needs me?" Or a client calls? Or the kids text? What if I forgot to answer an email? What if... What if... What if...
And then I step onto a pickleball court.
Something weird happens.
For the next hour or two... nothing else exists.
The laundry can wait. The dishes can wait. That email can wait.
The world keeps spinning without me checking it every seven minutes.
As someone who works from home, the distractions never stop. The dishwasher reminds me it's full. The dryer starts singing. The dog wants out. Somebody needs a snack. Amazon says my package was delivered. There's always something calling my name.
Which is why traveling is so therapeutic for me. When you’re in a hotel, there isn't a mountain of laundry staring at you from the hallway. Nobody's asking what's for dinner. The house isn't whispering, 'while you're here...' You can actually be where you are.
And somehow... pickleball gives me that exact same feeling.
I call it The Pickleball Pause.
This tiny window where life stops asking things from you. Nobody cares what you do for work. Nobody needs you to solve a problem. Nobody expects you to answer an email. Your only responsibility? Trying not to hit your partner in the face with a pickleball.
Honestly... that's enough responsibility for one afternoon.
Women especially get this. We're so used to carrying the invisible checklist. Did I remember this? Did I pay that? Did I schedule that appointment? Did I answer that text?
The list never really ends.
Until somebody says... "Who's got next?"
And just like that... the list disappears.
For a little while, you're not an employee. You're not a business owner. You're not a mom. You're not the person keeping everything together. You're just someone chasing a plastic ball around with friends.
There's something almost... peaceful about that. No meditation app has ever made me feel the way a good evening at open play does.
It's not because pickleball is magical. It's because presence is.
Pickleball just happens to be the thing that finally pulls us into the moment.
Maybe that's why so many people become obsessed with it. It isn't just the game. It's one of the few places left where life pauses long enough for us to remember what it feels like to simply... be.
Anyway... my phone is probably in my pickleball bag. I honestly couldn't tell you.
And for once... I'm okay with that.