BITS & PIECES | EDITOR’S NOTE
I
loved playing baseball as a young teen. The day after I signed up for my first little league season, my grandfather bought me a burgundy glove and that evening we sat outside breaking it in. At practice, I would get lumped into the outfield with all of the other new and unpolished players. My coach would stand at the plate, point his bat in my direction and call out, “Chris! Coming your way!” “Ping!” The ball ripped from his metal bat. I had difficulty judging the ball. Sometimes it would stay airborne long enough for me to get under it while other times it would hit the ground and blow past me. Baseball was hard. I didn’t get a lot of playing time at first. I came off the bench late in games where I was shuffled into left or center field. I batted low in the order, too. But one Monday night, one play changed everything. Our team had an away game and I was surprised when I was asked to scurry into left field in the third inning. We collected two outs before a husky, right-handed batter took the plate. My coach yelled for me to shift to the right. “Keep going! Keep going!” he blared, waving me toward the third base line. I don’t recall which pitch he hit, but the ball blasted from his bat like canon fire right in my direction. I watched the ball sail PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN FREER
KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL through the air, looking for the point of descent so I could make a break on it. That’s what coach taught me—don’t move until the ball starts to drop. I stepped forward and raised my glove into the air. “Pow!” It hit my glove. I had it. That was the first catch I ever made in a game. I got a lot of pats on the back and encouragement when I returned to the bench—and it felt great. That one play ignited a fire within me. I didn’t think that I had potential to be a good player, but I did. I went from a late inning sub to working my way into the starting lineup. I rotated in as the lead-off batter and found a home starting in left field. I was getting on base more, driving in runs, scoring and making plays in the outfield. All of this because of one catch. Reflecting on the lesson from that catch, it taught me the importance of taking advantage of opportunities as they present themselves. I don’t have to go into a situation with all of the right answers or all of the necessary tools. I’ll acquire them as
“SELF-WORTH COMES FROM ONE THING— THINKING THAT YOU ARE WORTHY.” — DR. WAYNE DYER
I go. I just need to get into the game when my number is called and keep my eye on the ball. That’s how I became a sportswriter, a sports editor, a contributing writer in two books and now a podcast host. (This is the project I mentioned in my July Editor’s Note “Progress, Not Perfection”). There is no doubt in my mind that you have one or more events in your life that you can look back on, find a lesson and apply it immediately. This is what I have come to find to be the best use of past experiences. Rather than relive old glory or sulk in regret, turn those experiences into relevant references that catapult you toward a better today—and tomorrow.
CHRIS JONES /EDITOR IN CHIEF CHRIS@THEHEALTHJOURNALS.COM
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