Sometimes you are part of a team that has a direct effect on the path your life takes.
I know for me, my high school swim team and swim coach literally shaped my life. The four years I spent on that team taught me so much about teamwork and pushing myself way out of my comfort zone and that you can do anything you set your mind to.
Those years taught me about setting goals and having fun and being part of something bigger than myself.
They taught me more about how to navigate life than any other classes or courses I ever took in school.
It wasn’t a team.
It was a family.
And this summer, Number 3 was very fortunate to be on a travel baseball team that was very similar to my high school swim team.
We have been a part of many baseball teams.
And this summer was the best baseball experience we have ever had.
And I say we because when you sign up for travel baseball, it’s not just your kid who is signing on.
Your whole family is making a commitment to this team.
And as a parent, to be on a team where you love all the coaches, where all the families get along, where everyone has fun, where all the siblings love going to games and where all the parents love going to games, where nobody pisses you off, where there are no toxic members, is, um…
Well, it’s a rarity.
And while it’s no secret I am a huge proponent of the swim team, I really love baseball.
I love baseball because it’s a true team sport.
One superstar doesn’t make a team.
A baseball team is the sum of all of its parts.
I love baseball because it requires mental toughness.
I love baseball because it teaches you to try your hardest and to run your fastest, even if you are certain you will be out. Don’t quit.
I love baseball because you can have one amazing play or one incredible hit, and you will ride that high for days or weeks or even a whole season.
I love baseball because you are taught to back up your teammates.
Literally and figuratively.
Isn’t that what being a decent human being is about?
Trying your hardest? Being mentally tough? Being a part of something bigger than yourself? Supporting the people around you?
So we just finished up our season with a tournament in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Twelve families cheered, sweated, laughed, cried, swam, worked, played, ate and drank, together all weekend long.
It was a great weekend.
For all of us.
Yesterday I laughed harder than I have laughed in a long time.
Number 3 learned a lot about himself this summer.
He has never been more confident on the field, and he made some great friends.
Last night, when we were going to bed and I told Number 5 that we were all done with baseball games for the summer, she burst into tears.
“I’M NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO PLAY WITH MY FRIENDS ANYMORE???”
She was devastated.
And to be honest, I kind of am, too.
I love baseball season, and this one was by far the best.
That is, until I was driving home from Hershey with the kids and my car broke down.
I was pulled over on the side of the highway, the kids were a little freaked out, and Number 7 was hysterically crying because she was sure we were going to have to sleep in the car on the highway.
I was texting and calling my husband and my parents.
For ten minutes I was calling and calling and calling.
I couldn’t get a hold of anyone.
And then I looked up from the phone and saw a car pulled over ahead of me.
And then I got a text.
It was from one of my friends on the team.
A friend I made because of baseball.
And within minutes, her husband (and one of the coaches) had taken Numbers 4, 5 and 7 in his car so he could get them home, and my friend sat in the car with me and Number 3 and 6, on the phone with AAA immediately.
Since she had AAA, if she was in the car with me she could get me a tow.
We didn’t end up needing it, but she saved me. And she stayed with me. And even after what was a very fun but also very exhausting weekend where we were all looking forward to getting home, she would have stayed with me for as long as I needed her to.
Luckily I was able to get to the mall not too far away, and from there my husband and my parents were able to come and help me out.
My husband got the boys and my friend back home, and my parents and I got the car to the shop where they will fix my fucked up transmission.
But today I was rescued by the baseball team.
Because great teammates don’t just back you up on the field.
They back you up off of it, too.
And what I learned today is the same thing I learned (gulp) thirty years ago on my high school swim team.
Some teams are teams.
But other teams are family.
And I’m so glad that we have had the good fortune to be a part of this one.
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