Before I met my husband, I had never been to a sporting function before, for fun.
My parents didn’t believe in paying actual money for entertainment like a live game. I never played sports growing up. I played the flute, with my thick eyeglasses, before thinning the lenses became a possibility. I contracted pink eye, waking up on the bus with my eyes glued shut, after my first basketball game with my husband. On one of our first dates, he carried a radio in his hand so that he could listen to the Red Sox Game. And I’m not sure if he knows this, but I’ve dozed off at so many games, AT the stadium. I could never really pay attention or follow the game, so I became the Asian Sleeping @ Fenway. I never learned anything.
This is, until my son started to play baseball. I understand some basics now. I now know the difference between a ball and a strike. Or this one- if the pitcher catches the ball after it’s been hit by the hitter, but before it touches the ground, the hitter is out. Yup, what did I say- I’m learning basics.
But something about youth sports that really surprises me, is how emotional it can be. The games are such that they go on for 6 innings now, and sometimes the kids are so invested, they cry when they lose. Like real tears. I can understand the disappointment. But what I’ve seen my boy do surprises me more. He can be really angry or upset after a game, but when that game is over, he’ll start talking with the other children, even if they’re from the opposing team. And what they always end up doing- is start playing again. They’ll start throwing the ball for another hour, and it becomes therapeutic for him and perhaps for all of them. It helps him to feel better as he works out some of those emotions by just doing what he loves.
It’s really interesting to me, you can be really disappointed by how things go, and it could be something you love to do, and what do you do to feel better? You continue to do what you love- that’s one of the cures for when you’re feeling badly. Don’t underestimate what you love to do!
Asian Sleeping @ Fenway
