When I tell people my in-laws stayed with us for a month, they usually pause, bracing for me to say, “and we barely made it out alive.”
Thankfully, I married well, and way up, so that wasn’t the case.

Over the past four weeks, they paid us a visit to celebrate some big milestones in the Taylor family: our daughter’s performance in The Prince of Egypt, our son Caden’s wedding charge, rehearsal dinner, and the wedding itself. We topped it all off by celebrating their 52nd wedding anniversary at our go-to restaurant whenever they’re in town (see picture above).

The rest of the month was a highlight reel of family moments… visiting historical sites with Grandma, neighborhood walks, and late-night Dodger playoff games with Grandpa.

I’m not usually superstitious, but every time my boys watched the Dodgers with Grandpa, they won. The night after he left, they got crushed 11–4.

Pure coincidence? I don’t think so. The numbers don’t lie. I really think if the Dodgers want any shot at repeating as World Series champs, we might need to fly him back…purely for the good of the team, of course.

My wife and kids have a whole highlight reel of their own from their adventures with Grandma and Grandpa, but my personal highlight was playing pickleball with my father-in-law, who happens to be really good. (He’s a 4.0 player, for those wondering. Think of it as a pickleball GPA. And yes, that’s honor-roll material.)

Whenever we played together, trust me, I tried to be on his team. He has a way of making you look good.
He’s been perfecting his game for a while and knows how to gently stick it to you…emphasis on gently.

Now, his style is very different from what I’m used to out here. He plays what’s called the soft game… patient, strategic, and waiting for the right moment to plop it exactly where he wants with effortless precision.

Meanwhile, I’m… let’s just say my style is less “soft game” and more “seek and destroy.” My strategy is simple: hit it as hard as humanly possible and hope intimidation counts as skill, while he just floats it into the perfect spot, quietly dismantling people one drop at a time.

While I’m swinging like I’m auditioning for the U.S. Open, he’s standing there, peaceful, unbothered, waiting for his moment, then plop. The ball lands exactly where the opponent isn’t. Just about every single time.

What I learned from my father-in-law is that he doesn’t win by outpowering anyone, he wins by outlasting them. He’s patient. Precise. He plays the long game.
And that’s not just a pickleball strategy, that’s a 52-year marriage strategy.
Come to think of it… it’s also a pretty good health strategy.

We all want change to happen fast, stronger, better, now. But health doesn’t reward the impatient. It’s not about the big, dramatic moves; it’s about the small, steady ones that keep you flexible, focused, and in the game.
Because whether it’s your spine, your marriage, or your drop shot, real strength comes from what you maintain, not just what you fix.

Here’s the lesson I’ve learned from my father-in-law: play the long game.

Don’t bang through life at full speed hoping for a miracle point. Slow down. Adjust. Refocus. Let patience do what power can’t.
Because in the end, it’s precision, timing, and consistency that keep you winning, in pickleball, in marriage, and in health.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Dr. Derek “Soft Game in Training” Taylor