Hit The Ball @ MindSay 
I was playing a game of squash against the boss last night (the entire office goes). He sent me running from the left side of the court to the right side to return the ball. The ball could not have been more than 300mm (1') from the right hand wall and I had to hit the ball at pace.
I got the return in, before careening into the wall. Luckily I have a bit of padding, by being a slightly overweight bastard, because I hit the wall with a sickening crash, and bounced more than a meter off the wall, landing in a human puddle, my glasses dislodged, my racket out of hand.
The boss got to my return, and just to tease me he hit it so that it landed near me lying on the ground. I was able to grab my raquet in the wrong hand hit the ball and hit a good winner.
However I couldn't sleep last night, because every time I moved it was like.....
"Ouch, that's a bruise"
Ah well.
I've heard it said that Practice Makes Perfect....I would agree with that if I had several days of every week to practice ....Practically speaking, I would get better but then again, it could take a huge part of my life to improve to a point where I considered myself .......a pro...or even "good"..
How are we supposed to be good at everything we want to do when it all takes so much time? Don't get me wrong...This isn't a complaint, just a question..
My instructor was late...so I just kept playing ....watching for progress and hoping for air..
I've got balls and I'm going to hit them..
He finally arrives and starts talking about body strength and 30 degree body angles and how important it is to develop a body alignment that gives you the most power..and then he hit the ball and it disappeared...
So I'm thinking...."Great..I must be at a disadvantage being a little Bird and all".
We practiced the slightly bent extended arm , the correct grasp of the iron, the angle of the back and the slightly bent knee...basically we practiced the right technique and guess what happened....
I became a Success Story!!!.That's right!! The woman who had NO control over how she hit that golf ball suddenly in one lesson......is hitting it.....doing a fine job.....no fat...just right!
I am so utterly impressed with Technique....My little golf ball just disappeared in the clouds...It went zoom zoom zoom...and it isn't even a Mazda...
Technique takes years off your struggle....Technique is so very important...Practice is good but practicing Technique is better...
so I am convinced....
When I hit the ball well.. When it flys high and long....I enjoy it..
Technique Counts.
Took the kid out for lunch today.
We went to Hooters to eat and then I went and bought him a baseball bat, glove and two baseballs. Can you believe this kid has never played baseball? Never held a glove? I had to show him how to handle the ball and showed him a few tricks I knew. Hopefully in two weeks I can start teaching him the game. Next weekend I am taking him to a U.T. baseball game and I am betting that it will be a question and answer session for me most of the game. But that's o.k. I think every teenage boy should know the game of baseball. This will reward him in so many ways he does not have a clue.
The first thing I am going to teach him is to throw the ball. Then I want to teach him how to hit. I showed him how to juggle the ball with the bat today cause I want him to start training his hand/eye coordination. After I have taught him how to hit I will teach him each position and then he can make up his mind which one he wants to learn better and go from there. I figure if I can get him a knowledge base, next year he try out for a team and then really learn the game of baseball. When he has his first basehit he will be on cloud nine. He even asked me today what a basehit was.
So this is a starting point for the kid. I told him I wanted him to check out a book at the library about learning how to play baseball since this will help him when I start to actually show him. That is what I did when I was younger than him but at least at 13 he has a chance to be good by the time high school comes around. I told him I wanted him to go to the park and just hit the ball around. Juggle the ball with the bat. Toss it up in the air and play catch unless he can find a friend he can play catch with. Truthfully, I just want him to get used to handling the gear. To feel comfortable using it. I told him to sit on, stand on, run the car over, misshandle and rough up the glove to get it loose. I told him at night before he goes to bed to put the ball in the web of the glove and wrap the glove around the ball. Do they still put linseed oil on gloves? I need to find some if so.
I think this will be fun for him. It is for me already. I loved baseball when I was growing up. Since he does not have an interest in learning football and seems to in baseball, I think he will like this too. The only bad thing for him is that unless he is a natural at it, he is going to suck at first. That is where I am going to have to be a coach and keep him interested and practicing. He just may find himself in a select niche before he knows it and like that place is in.
I may have posted this before, but it's still good, I just got it in my email box.
At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.
After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:
"When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do.
Where is the natural order of things in my son?" The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. "I believe that when a child, like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes, in the way other people treat that child."
Then he told the following story: Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they'll let me play?"
Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play, not expecting much. The boy looked around for guidance and a few boys nodded approval, why not? So he took matters into his own hands and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning." Shay struggled over to the team's bench put on a team shirt with a broad smile and his Father had a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart.
The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?
Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible 'cause Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing the other team putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The game would now be over, but the pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the head of the first baseman, out of reach of all team mates.
Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had Shay ever ran that far but made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!" Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to second base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball, the smallest guy on their team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for the first time.
He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions and he too intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay" Shay reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to help him and turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third! Shay, run to third" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams and those watching were on their feet were screaming, "Shay, run home!" Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the "grand slam" and won the game for his team.
That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world."
Shay didn't make it to another summer and died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his Father so happy and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
So what is the overall lesson that I learned, you ask? The lesson is that when I get hurt really bad in a game of some sort it makes me play ten times harder till I win. Holyshit I really did win too. I love life.
I love life.
That's all for now.
Take care of yourselves/eachother.
==========================Peace-n-Luv======================
