Lessons from the Baseball Field

Lessons from the Baseball Field In two short hours, I learned a lot yesterday about life. It all happened while at the baseball field. I had our afternoon all planned out.One game at 1 pm. I double-checked the schedule that morning just to be sure.My youngest didnt have a t-ball game, I was sure.We would all go to the field and watch the game. Water bottles, check. Mitts, check. Hats and uniforms, check. Cleats, check. In the car on time, check. Shortly after the game started I ran into a mom and her son. She said to me Weve got a game a 1:30 right?. For some reason I thought she was talking about the 1:00 game and replied Yep. And thought nothing more of it. Lesson 1: Having a plan doesnt mean itll work out Stay calm. Even the best laid out plans are interrupt-able. We didnt have the uniform, cleats, or mitt for my sons 1:30 game and it wasnt until 1:25 that we realized that there was a game. Thank goodness for the staying calm under pressure attitude of my husband, who came to the rescue. Lesson 2: Dont miss the signs If I had been paying attention to what was being said by that mom at the time she spoke with me, I would have been able to take faster action. Also, in hindsight, I had seen my sons coach when we arrived at the field, but my mind was focused on my plan, not the situation. Be open to changing your direction. Lesson 3: If you dont know the rules, you cant break them Watching kids play baseball is wonderful. My older son played catcher and didnt catch a single pitch. In fact, I dont think he even knew he was supposed to. The ball would miss his mitt and he would just wait for the next ball to come. He didnt try to pick up the balls that were rolling around the batters feet. The coach did. I am pretty sure, in his mind, he was doing what he should do- squat behind the plate. It didnt bother him one bit that he wasnt doing the other things. He didnt know and I guess no-one had told him. Lesson 4: Do what you love and the money will follow From the bleachers, the mom of an assistant coach (teenager) was talking about his summer jobs. This assistant coach loved being outside. He didnt want to work a cash register indoors. Besides the lawn mowing and gardening odd jobs he did in his neighborhood, he had talked to a landscaper.His mom said that he wanted to get in with a landscaping firm now, so that after he had completed his schooling, he would already have a foot in the door with them. Lesson 5: Have fun With all the chaos and mishaps, both my boys had a great day. They fielded some good balls, whacked a couple of balls into the outfield andnurtured some friendships. We cheered each other on, laughed and had fun. These 5 lessons are what life is all about. They are also transferable to your job search which it absolutely why I wrote this story.