Re runs.

Yet another snow storm hits NW Indiana. Austin had a flat tire on the way to school on the interstate. Eric had to leave the girls at the dentist to go help Austin. I had to plow through two feet of drifting snow in places to try to get to the dentist. I made it. Then Eric ended up getting pulled out of snow TWICE! When he saw a snow plow go through he called me at the studio and said to leave immediately! So I did and plowed my little beetle through the road that was already drifting shut again. Then Austin called and got ANOTHER flat from a pot hole on his way home! Ugh! What a day.

So please forgive me for what I am about to do. I'm re-running an old entry. Feel free to skip if you read it before!

Sports and Perfection and Success (or why there is no crying in baseball)

First of all, I ought to admit, I hate baseball. Really really hate it. I think it is because my big brother was on little league teams growing up. Of course, Mom and I walked to Lafayette Park to watch the games. It was hot and sticky. The bleachers were hard. Scary people like the mentally retarded man/boy, Timmy Tornado and the psychopathic Thomaschzeski brothers hung out there. Timmy Tornado meant no harm but the Thomaschzeski brothers probably did. I was shy and uncomfortable in crowds. I've never been much of an outside girl--at least not when it's so hot that I will sweat. Anyway, that's the long version. Short version, I don't like baseball.

Consequently, there are certain facts about baseball that take me by surprise. I hear other people talking baseball and just fill in the blanks in my knowledge with assumptions that are frequently wrong.

Like, do you realize that a GOOD batter in baseball bats 300? What is that? 300 hits a game? 300 home runs a year? What? Eric, (brilliant DH who knows about baseball but does not insist on watching it, talking about it, or even caring about it unless the Cubs or White Sox are in the world series or might go there or something. I wasn't really paying attention, but I digress.) Eric told me batting 300 means they get 3 hits out of every 10 times at bat. What???? JUST 3 hits? Why didn't anyone tell me this in high school gym class? For a totally non athletic girl if I hit 1 out of 10 then I would have been doin' the happy dance all the way to first base! But instead I thought I was a failure.

But it's facts like these that reveal my baseball ignorance. I mean, these guys get millions and millions of dollars and STILL miss 7 out of 10 times??? That's not very good. If you had asked me, I would have thought that to keep your job you should HIT 7 and MISS 3. And that's just to KEEP your job!

But NO! Players who bat 300 are the really good ones, I'm told. So there are successful, professional players doing less.

Hmmmm. This totally makes me rethink my perfectionist tendencies.

So if I go 3 out of every 10 days without losing my temper, I'm a success! So day before yesterday when I stomped down the stairs yelling, "Can't you guys just be nice? Why do you have to scream at each other?" I am still doing really really well if I don't do it more that oh, 7 times out of 10?

Out of my 9 kids, if ONLY 3 of them don't become ax murders I will be in the parenting Hall of Fame!

If I mutter, "Stupid old crone" only 7 times out of ten with my mother in law starts pontificating about politics, I am STILL one of the world's best daughters in law!

Alright, I know I shouldn't use this statistic to excuse bad behavior on my part. I hear ya! I hear ya!

But it has opened my eyes about excusing past bad behavior. I do have perfectionist tendencies. And if I say something that I regret later, I tend to beat myself up over it--even after the apologies have cleared the air. I'll think I'm insensitive or cruel or something. I'll get mad about my character. But in baseball standards, the occasional misstep still has me in the top of the batting league. KWIM?

Perfection of 100% is impossible. (There are no 6.0s in baseball) I like that baseball says good enough actually IS good enough! There is acceptance and even praise of people who do their best and it is good enough to be rewarded rather than be condemned for the 7 misses. No expects 100% perfect performance 100% of the time. The players strive for the best and keep trying to improve, but know, and forgive themselves ahead of time, that they will never bat 1000, or even 900 or 800.

What really sticks in my craw is that I learned this great lesson of self acceptance from BASEBALL of all things! All these years I should have been watching and loving baseball with it's "Just go out there and do the best you can, win one for the team" attitude instead of loving figure skating--a sport that is much less forgiving and expects perfection every single time!

First of all, I ought to admit, I hate baseball. Really really hate it. I think it is because my big brother was on little league teams growing up. Of course, Mom and I walked to Lafayette Park to watch the games. It was hot and sticky. The bleachers were hard. Scary people like the mentally retarded man/boy, Timmy Tornado and the psychopathic Thomaschzeski brothers hung out there. Timmy Tornado meant no harm but the Thomaschzeski brothers probably did. I was shy and uncomfortable in crowds. I've never been much of an outside girl--at least not when it's so hot that I will sweat. Anyway, that's the long version. Short version, I don't like baseball.

Consequently, there are certain facts about baseball that take me by surprise. I hear other people talking baseball and just fill in the blanks in my knowledge with assumptions that are frequently wrong.

Like, do you realize that a GOOD batter in baseball bats 300? What is that? 300 hits a game? 300 home runs a year? What? Eric, (brilliant DH who knows about baseball but does not insist on watching it, talking about it, or even caring about it unless the Cubs or White Sox are in the world series or might go there or something. I wasn't really paying attention, but I digress.) Eric told me batting 300 means they get 3 hits out of every 10 times at bat. What???? JUST 3 hits? Why didn't anyone tell me this in high school gym class? For a totally non athletic girl if I hit 1 out of 10 then I would have been doin' the happy dance all the way to first base! But instead I thought I was a failure.

But it's facts like these that reveal my baseball ignorance. I mean, these guys get millions and millions of dollars and STILL miss 7 out of 10 times??? That's not very good. If you had asked me, I would have thought that to keep your job you should HIT 7 and MISS 3. And that's just to KEEP your job!

But NO! Players who bat 300 are the really good ones, I'm told. So there are successful, professional players doing less.

Hmmmm. This totally makes me rethink my perfectionist tendencies.

So if I go 3 out of every 10 days without losing my temper, I'm a success! So day before yesterday when I stomped down the stairs yelling, "Can't you guys just be nice? Why do you have to scream at each other?" I am still doing really really well if I don't do it more that oh, 7 times out of 10?

Out of my 9 kids, if ONLY 3 of them don't become ax murders I will be in the parenting Hall of Fame!

If I mutter, "Stupid old crone" only 7 times out of ten with my mother in law starts pontificating about politics, I am STILL one of the world's best daughters in law!

Alright, I know I shouldn't use this statistic to excuse bad behavior on my part. I hear ya! I hear ya!

But it has opened my eyes about excusing past bad behavior. I do have perfectionist tendencies. And if I say something that I regret later, I tend to beat myself up over it--even after the apologies have cleared the air. I'll think I'm insensitive or cruel or something. I'll get mad about my character. But in baseball standards, the occasional misstep still has me in the top of the batting league. KWIM?

Perfection of 100% is impossible. (There are no 6.0s in baseball) I like that baseball says good enough actually IS good enough! There is acceptance and even praise of people who do their best and it is good enough to be rewarded rather than be condemned for the 7 misses. No expects 100% perfect performance 100% of the time. The players strive for the best and keep trying to improve, but know, and forgive themselves ahead of time, that they will never bat 1000, or even 900 or 800.

What really sticks in my craw is that I learned this great lesson of self acceptance from BASEBALL of all things! All these years I should have been watching and loving baseball with it's "Just go out there and do the best you can, win one for the team" attitude instead of loving figure skating--a sport that is much less forgiving and expects perfection every single time!

Comments

[Cheryl]

Sorry about all of your deep snow obstacles-but the Thomaschzeski brothers? OMG, does that bring back memories-they were scary-specifically the older one-in a Jeffrey Dahlmer sort of way. Thanks so much for that memory-what a laugh I got out of hearing those names again!!! By the way, Timmy still lives near LPS and has been given the title of "Greatest LPS Fan". He attends all home games, of any sport, at no charge-Thanks again for the giggle. LOL