As a child I played sports and I loved them. I liked being a part of the team. I liked seeing everyone accomplish a little bit more and get a little better each time the team came together. Even in the losses, there can be big and small wins of advancement. But I didn't always see it that way. When I first joined the team, I was the only girl on the team and with little practice, I wasn't that great. They announced my name at the beginning of the game and then it was like I became an invisible dugout ghost, waiting until I apparently became visible around the 7th inning to run to an outfield position. Fortunately, that only lasted for a season and I learned that in baseball, like in life, when you start out you'll spend more time practicing than actively playing in games. Over the years, the game of baseball, and later girl's fast pitch softball when they formed a girl's team, taught me many more valuable life lessons. I learned that you might play many positions before your find one that fits, and even then, you might have to play another role for the team's success. Being the lead-off batter is great, and being the clean-up hitter is an honor - but none of it matters if the runners don't score. I learned you must keep the focus on what matters while executing the details well. I learned that sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose, and your attitude in both situations is your choice. A good attitude allows you to learn more quickly from your experiences and make necessary changes. Competitive softball came to end for me one point shy of making it to the Little League Softball World Series level of competition at the age of 18. Fortunately, I was able to build upon all the learning of life lessons that came between my first strike-out and the last umpire calling out "That's the game!" I still contend that last hit was not a foul ball, I checked the chalk line in the right field and saw where the ball hit. Evenso, I'm grateful for the lessons we can learn "in the middle of it all." Keep learning, there's lessons in the big and small things.
