My Daughter is a Softball Addict

Apr 05, 2013

I wrote a while back that I had been suckered into coaching my daughter's softball team. . . Now that the initial rush to get things organized is over (uniforms, equipment, parent shirts, assistant coaches, practice schedules, roster, field assignments, etc.), I've had a chance to come up for air. . . And I've noticed something:

My daughter is a softball addict. She now marks her week by practice days and game times. If it's not an "official" practice night, she wants to be out in the yard playing catch. This has been particularly challenging because of the weather lately -- central Oklahoma has gotten rain for the last three days. We needed it, and I'm not complaining, but it has made my daughter very "itchy" to grab the mitts and go throw. It doesn't matter how cold it is outside -- she would happily play in a blizzard, I think. We shortened our practice on Monday of this week because it was 47 degrees with a very cold wind; my daughter complained.

And I'm thrilled by this turn of events, because I was the same way! Still am, to be honest; the hardest part of coaching for me is being on the field and not getting to play. And it makes me very grateful for my surgery and my weight loss -- every time I grab my mitt and go outside with her, every practice, every game, I am reminded of how precious this is.

4 years ago I got rid of the mitt I'd had since high school; I was convinced I wouldn't be able to use it again because of my obesity. Walking was exhausting and made my joints hurt, so there was no way I'd be able to run and play ball. A coworker, when he saw my post on FB about needing to get a new mitt because I was coaching, gave me a mitt he'd bought when he went into the Air Force many years ago and was playing in a base league, and I used it for a while. It was too big for me, though, so I passed it to my husband (who has hands that are more like paws) and he uses it when he plays catch with our son. I bought a new mitt a couple of weeks ago, and got teary-eyed in the middle of the sporting goods store simply because I was doing something I never thought I'd do again. And I have the opportunity to do this with my daughter, which means more to me than I can ever express.

I guess this makes me an enabler in her softball addiction. I am not repentant; I will play catch, help her with her batting, and further her love of the game -- in hopes of ensuring that she stays active and healthy for the rest of her life. And because it gives me time with my daughter that I would have missed out on otherwise, which is so much more valuable than any win/loss total!
 

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