Dose of perspective

Last night was one of those rare evenings that Hubby and I didn’t have anywhere we had to be. No games, no practice, no meetings, nada. The weather decided to be normal for once, which was a nice change so we decided to go watch the local baseball game. We’re always saying we want to catch one of the games but it never seems to work out so we’re happy we could go. Plus, now that our girls are older, a lot of their classmates are playing so we actually know some kids, which it makes even more fun!

So we grabbed our chairs and sunflower seeds and went and plunked ourselves in the bleachers alongside all the parents and fans of the baseball players. As the first inning began and the umpire started making some questionable calls, I heard a little bit of voice raising and dissatisfaction from a few of the parents around me. Not that I didn’t agree with them, but it entertained me to listen to their comments. Then it hit me all of the sudden that, for once, it wasn’t me making smart aleck comments about the umpire’s calls. Wait a minute! Why am I not saying sarcastic remarks loud enough for the Ump to hear me? That’s what I tend to do all the time. Not that I’m proud of it but it’s kinda like a nervous twitch. I just can’t seem to restrain myself when I sit behind home plate. What makes this game different?

Then as the game continued, one of our home team players made a costly error and I heard the parent swear quietly to themselves and saw the frustration in their face. My initial thought was, “Oh darn it, poor kid! He’ll get it next time.” What?? Who said that? And later, as I watched another one of our players strike out, I saw the parent sit back in their chair disappointed, while I was thinking to myself that those were good swings and the pitcher must be putting spin on it. I legitimately felt bad for all our players when something didn’t go right and felt confident that they would redeem themselves the next play or time at bat. What was wrong with me?

Why don’t I act this nice and encouraging at MY kids’ games? Who is the pleasant person dressed in my clothes and sitting with my husband? At my kids’ games, I show up at the field nervous and then, although I hide it well, inside I’m already worked up and worried about how it’s going to go and how they’re going to do. I admit that sports and relaxation do not really go hand in hand for me. Not that I swear or yell at my kids if they make errors, but when they do, I just get more worried and nervous and I have been known to look a bit frustrated after their mistake.

Yet, there I was, relaxed and enjoying the atmosphere, not worried about the score or who did this or that. It was SO nice and I appreciated just being there. I loved watching the kids play and try so hard and overall I thought they did great! I wasn’t worried about what they should work on in practice or concerned for their next games like I would be if it was my own. The whole evening just gave me a nice dose of “Perspective” and opened my eyes to some things I still need to work on. Just maybe, if I can relax more at my own kids’ games, maybe I’ll leave there as happy as I left last night. I’m going to make those baseball games more of a priority on my calendar because they sure seemed to help me remember that it’s just a game when it’s all said and done!