Standing there 2 strikes on me and my head flashes back to my whole softball career the early mornings and late nights. The tiering practices and countless hours on the field. Taking it back to 2nd grade my first time ever touching a softball.  Sitting behind the plate at 8 years old not knowing how much this sport would effect my life. Going from a girl that was doing softball because it was fun and I was doing every sport on this planet. To now playing 14u for a club team.

             Still standing in the batters box reviewing my whole softball career the pitch comes in and I start giving my momentum forward going to it. Something is off with this swing, I know I am going to hit it and I feel on my hands the weight of my softball journey both the highs and lows. All the way from 2nd to 7th grade. My teammates becoming family, my coaches too. Every single human that I have ever had on my team. My journey from 8u to 14u how much I have improved.  The diving catches and homeruns but also the strike threes and robbed dingers.

            The throw outs and 2 out rallies the stealing home and ball 4’s .It is all coming onto my hands while I am swinging my neon green and dark purple Louisville slugger. The bright yellow 12 inch ball jumps off my bat and the weight is still there as I sprint down to 1st 2nd 3rd . I am rounding 3rd as the ball comes in from the outfield. I trust my gut and sprint to home and again the weight falls back on my shoulders.

            I make it home in time as my body glides through the bag and the tag is placed on me a millisecond to late. As I get up to cheer I can feel the weight again I never understood why it was there. One of the coaches that coaches the 14u team was there, I guess I felt that pressure because I was 12u at the time. That game changed me and I took the lesson in life of enjoy stuff while you have it because you never know when it will be taken away from you!

            From that day on acting like every practice is a championship and every tip a precious loan. I learned that stuff really does go away that fast and that you may not get a second or third chance. My dad is the only one who was there to practice with me even if he does not have time. He will squeeze in a catch in between errands and work. He is the one to show up to my games and pick and prod of how I played. He never told me to quit or never doubted my potential and that is the most helpful thing someone could ever do.

            As I was wondering to myself what was happening as I was rounding third on that life changing hit why? Then I realized that that day was the anniversary of my first home run in little league. I have learned so much from softball but the thing that sticks out is that everything happens for a reason. If you follow your dreams they won’t wander off!

            So that day my life was changed for the better over a fastball being lobbed over the dirty old off-white home plate.