Who Would You Like To Be?

RHYS. BOWEN: Last week we talked about interviews we had experienced, both as the interviewer and interviewee. I’ve done a lot of radio and blog interviews, as I know the rest of the Reds have too. Sometimes they are excruciating because the radio host as no idea who I am, what I write and has probably never read a book. “So—Miss Brown—you’ve written this, uh…”

Most of the time I get asked identical questions so that I can switch off my brain, open my mouth and the answer comes out.

But just occasionally I get an interviewer who challenges me. On a radio interview a while ago I was asked, “If you could be anyone else in the world for fifteen minutes, who would you like to be?”

                This took me by surprise. I didn’t have much time to think but I said, “I’d like to be the number one tennis player in the world, coming out onto Center Court at Wimbledon for the final, knowing I can win.”

I’ve always been a tennis fanatic. I played for my school and my college. As a teen I had pin-ups of Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall etc on my wall. My friend and I rode our bikes about ten miles to the tennis club after school, practiced for two hours then rode back again. I played club tennis and occasionally league (which I hated. Too serious) until I got a damaged disk between my shoulder blades. I asked if I could still play tennis. Yes, but you’ll have to serve underhand, she said. Hey, I can still beat my son-in-law. I don’t server underhand I said. So I quit.  I still miss it.

                But this week, when I’ve been laid low with a virus, I have watched the tennis channel every day and I found myself wondering would I really have liked to be a top tennis player? I love tennis but nothing but tennis, every day all year?   I’m afraid I’m not very good at doing just one thing. When I lived in a country club in Texas I played tennis with the other women a couple of times a week. Most of them played every morning.  “I should be cleaning my house,” they giggled as they swept the court of leaves. I have friends who after retirement play bridge every day.

I have realized I’m not passionate enough about anything to do it every day of my life. Maybe if I’d been that little bit better at tennis—, one who could win tournaments, perhaps I’d have worked harder. But now when I watch those young women playing all over the world, all year without a break, I wonder if it’s worth it. Ashley Barty didn’t think so. She quit as number one in the world.

Now Reds—who would you have liked to be? Did you have any childhood dreams or passions that were not fulfilled? And I realize as I write this that I write every day. If I’ve finished a book and am supposed to take a break I am jotting down ideas, itching to get back to work. So I do know who I’d like to be after all!

And to update that question about who I’d like to be for fifteen minutes I now have a good answer. I’d like to be Vladimir Putin. I’d take poison that would take twenty minutes to react.