Risky Business

Risk – a situation involving exposure to danger

synonyms: possibility, chance, probability, likelihood, danger, peril, threat, menace, fear, prospect

If you are playing table tennis, you are living dangerously. Forget about the virus. What are the odds that your opponent’s paddle might slip out of his sweaty hands during a forehand loop. I’ve seen it. Fortunately no one was killed, but what if? I recently fell down in the attempt to back off from the table. That gym floor is harder than you would think. I didn’t break any bones…this time. I’ve witnessed situations that required calls to the police, and even threats of violence at my local club. This kind of altercation seems to happen about every ten years. We’re probably due for another one. At least once a month some kind of argument breaks out during league matches. This kind of thing could easily escalate into a riot. It’s possible.  A ping pong paddle to one player is a weapon to another.  

The T3 club is taking some precautions against the kind of mayhem that results when more than one person is in a room. I’m only training one person at a time. I’m careful to only accept students that I reasonably think I can defend myself against. If I continue my run of unlikely edge balls, I could push a couple of them over the edge. Cleanliness has always been a priority at the T3 training center. This month we will be installing a walk through car wash. Once every player has been washed, rinsed, waxed, and polished they should be suitable for an hour’s training session. I always make it a point to listen to my customers and make every attempt to meet their unique needs. In addition to my current open door policy that allows for circulation of fresh air and mosquitoes; complimentary welder’s masks are available for rent. These not only protect against germs, they also keep you safe from ultraviolet light, burns, and possibly concussions. They are fashionable, functional, and will likely be required for all tournaments or large gatherings starting in 2021.

I don’t just preach safety, I’m living it. I have spent the last months confined to one room of my house. I have gained fifteen pounds of fat, that should protect me in the event of future food shortages. Thanks to my voluntary quarantine, I have significantly reduced any chance of getting skin cancer, but am now dealing with a vitamin D deficiency. 

I don’t mean to take this pandemic lightly. I have family members who are very much in the high risk category. I might even be old enough to be high risk as well. Everyone I know is having to take calculated risks. For different people this means different things. I personally think masks are primarily security blankets, and may be doing more harm than good. I might be wrong, which is one reason I don’t see many people, and mostly stay home. My motivation for this post is to point out what should be obvious. (This is coming from an extremely cautious person, raised in a very safety minded family.) Everything we do is risky.It’s impossible to live with no risk at all. Life is a risky business.