Opening Day Excitement

My week has been alive with Opening day Excitement!  This Saturday is the opening Day of Little League and with the weather being so cold this spring, practices have been few and far between.  I am really not too sure my two kids who play ball are really ready yet with the limited practice that they have had, and yet opening day is coming whether they are ready or not.  It amazes me how different the teams are from year to year with one year’s coach arranging for indoor practices to make sure the kids get their reps in, and other coaches cancelling at the drop of a hat as if they really didn’t care how prepared the kids are.  Then of course there is the parents ,who also have varying degrees of intensity about how their kids will do.  I am trying to be one of the “good” parents, who isn’t only concerned about performance, and wants their kids to have a good time.  After all isn’t that why we play games…to have fun.  Nevertheless, we all like to do well, and see our kids do well, and holding the tension between performance and fun isn’t always easy.

I am reminded as I think about this that in some ways life is about holding the tension between performance and enjoyment.  On one hand we all want to do well at life and succeed in the things that we try, especially if what we are trying is our livelihood, and our sustenance depends on it.  At the same time if we don’t enjoy life along the way then we run the risk of giving up on life altogether, and becoming cynical at best and suicidal at worst.  I really believe that God’s plan for us is much like my plan for the teams that I have coached, and that is to help them to do the best that they possibly can while at the same time keeping the joy of the game constantly before them.  Not every play is fun, but when you finish the game you ought to be able to say…I did my best, and had some fun along the way.  We ought to live life with a passion for it, just like my little leaguers play ball with a carefree passion that can’t wait for the next play.  the great part about Baseball is that with each new batter, inning and game come new challenges and fresh opportunities for a new start.  May each day, hour, and minute offer the same opportunity for us adults!