Why I Love Ball

Not many in my circle of friends have their kids in organized sports (and most that do are on my T-Ball team so it is very non-competitive). I have had my kids in fastball for 12 years now. We have had our ups and downs with coaches and team mates and fairness and they whole competition thing and all the other stuff that goes along with a sport like this that is not so positive. Yet we persist. Kaetlyn absolutely loves playing ball. It was my prediction when she threw a carrot across the room while in her high chair. She doesn't buy into hard core competition. She enjoys winning of course if it is because she and her team played well but she doesn't care if she loses, either. Whatever happens, she is usually laughing and happy when she leaves the diamond. And I watch every game I can. For several reasons. Of course I love watching my daughter and I am always amazed by her physical capabilities - her strength and skill. But I also relish the chance to stop what I am doing and just sit outside. No phone to ring, no task to do. Just sit and watch my daughter, chat with people who I have seen on ball diamonds for the last 12 years and be outside.

Sitting in view of this beautiful green hill with cows grazing on the Commonage, watching my amazing daughter do this:
(who despite breaking her ankle last year hasn't hesitated to slide this year... I'm more nervous about it than she is...)




And my younger daughter who has been at these diamonds since she was a toddler and had to wear a bike helmet to protect her from stray foul balls, plays in the cat tails at the edge of the fields with her cousins, trying to catch frogs.


I suppose it is the reason I don't mind so much when she signs up each year and why I am coaching Rhiannon.