Thursday, July 14, 2011

Baseball and Life!


Baseball is a lot like life. It's a day-to-day existence, full of ups and downs. You make the most of your opportunities in baseball as you do in life." --Ernie Harwell--



I obviously have baseball on my mind. I love the sport and I am my son's biggest fan as he works with his teammates to play such a great sport. Through the years I have had to explain to my son that baseball can be a very complex game or it can be really simple. When he was young I would explain that baseball is a physical game, where it is important to be in good shape, but more importantly in the game you have to know how your body is used. Throughout the years he learned from coaches that it's a mind game a battle of pure concentration and mental toughness.

I always gave my son life lessons and with baseball it is no different. Afterall in everything you do in life there is a lesson to be learned.  So I began to teach him in times when he needed it, how life was a lot like baseball the sport he loved to play day in and day out... I told him the following...

When my son would not be on task or lose focus not wanting to work with others, I would tell him life like baseball is a true team sport. It requires keen execution, knowledge of how to make things work like the hit-and-run play and paying attention to signals you are given by others. Individually in life, like baseball we can make a difference in the game but the game is usually won as a team. This provided him clarity in the importance of working together to achieve one goal.



When he didn't get what he wanted or when he felt defeated I would explain to him that we all get curve balls.  When he was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes, he saw that as a major curve ball but I explained to him when life throws you curve balls, you can never stop swinging the bat. You never know when you might hit a home run!  Of course he was like mom but this is my life not baseball it sucks being diagnosed with a this disease that can kill me.  I had to get creative, I explainded the importance of changing his mindset and how important it was for him to get some mental toughness in his life. I explained that life like baseball requires you to clear your mind, concentrate, use hand-eye coordination & display mental toughness.  Well he kind of got it as I saw the bright glimpse in his eys and we went further into the conversation.  I said to him in his life's field, like the baseball field he stands in left or center field all spring and most of the summer.  I stated as you fearlessly stand in front of a blazing batted ball and remember where to position yourself, what base to throw the ball to if you get it, and when to do it all takes some real concentration and mental toughness. At that point he got it. He said mom I get it. It was his aaahaa moment.

I began to tell him to remember just like baseball, in life you strike out go into slumps or dry spells & make errors at crucial moments some physical some mental.  Sometimes you look in the stands and there are people cheering other times there are people booing. But you still play the game you tune out the boos and work from the cheers and move to the plate to begin your trek around the bases of life. 

It is at that point that my son said mom I understand how it works now. He kind of put it in laymens terms for himself, he stated, " In baseball sometimes I hit it out the park other times I strike out but I still go back to the plate. When I am at the plate I hear nothing I am just concentrating on hitting the ball and getting on base. When on base I work hard to reach home so I can hit again. Mom you always say don't get upset just get 'em next time and life works the same way. We just have to keep stepping up to the plate and swinging the bat to get on base and move the game forward."    Hmph .... out of the mouths of babes...I couldn't have said it better myself....

Well my son with his great outlook on a sport and life is on his way to play in the State Championships in his age league bracket.  Not only am I confident that he will do well at the plate each and every time, I am understanding that as he steps to the plate he will have learned the sport and a life lesson at the same time. Learning never stops and I am so blessed that he gets that!

You know if we lived our life like baseball, every inning would provide an opportunity for us to start anew with a clean slate at the plate.  We get a new count and sometimes a new pitcher to pitch a ball to us. We sometimes hit it and we sometimes strike out.  The most important thing is that we swing the bat in an effort to make progression in the game.  In life, like baseball, we have to just keep on swinging. We have to realize if we don't get a hit, that we should still be satisfied to walk because the run scores just the same.

Baseball what a great sport not just to play but for true life lessons.


Racquel
Be Blessed, Be Encouraged & Be a Blessing!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

I've Learned....I Know.. So I Do...


I've learned many things in my life. I take all my lessons as stepping stones to a greater and more productive life.  I accept the fact that I am not perfect ,and that not everyone will love appreciate or approve of who or what I am. I look in the mirror daily and I make a promise to give myself the same unconditional love and support I give so freely to others.

I have stopped moving through life as a buyer, hungry for my next fix, a new dress, another pair of shoes or looks of approval and admiration from family, friends or even strangers who pass by. I have discovered that it is truly in giving that I receive, and that the joy and abundance I seek grows out of what I am constantly giving. I also recognize the importance of creating and contributing rather than obtaining and accumulating.

I give thanks for the simple things that I've been blessed with, things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about.  I've learned to avoid toxic people and conversations and work to not discuss old issues and situations with family and friends.  I have stopped engaging in self-destructive behaviors, including participating in relationships that are dysfunctional. I am eating a balanced diet, drinking more water and exercising. Since I have learned that fatigue drains the spirit and creates doubt and fear, I give myself permission to rest. I know food is fuel for my body and laughter is fuel for my spirit so I make it a point to create time for play.

I know how to love, how much to give in love, when to stop giving, and when to walk away. I know that people don't always say what they mean or mean what they say, intentionally or unintentionally, and that everyone will not always come through... I have also learned and accepted that it's not always about me.  In life, I have stopped lashing out and pointing fingers or looking to place blame for things that were done to me or weren't done for me. I am learning to keep my ego in check and to acknowledge and redirect my destructive emotions it brings forth - anger, jealousy and resentment. I've learned that my EGO is really Easing God Out and that is not my goal in life.

I can now say "I was wrong" and I can forgive people for their own human deficiencies. I've learned to build bridges instead of walls and about the important healing power of love as it is expressed through a kind word, a warm smile or a friendly gesture. At the same time, I have eliminated any relationships that are hurtful or fail to uplift and edify me and others.

I have learned to look at people as they really are and not as I would want them to be, and I am careful not to project my neediness or insecurities onto my relationships with others. I have learned that I will not be more beautiful, more intelligent, more lovable or important because of a man on my arm or the child that bears my name. I have learned that just as people grow and change, so does love and relationships. I have also learned that not everyone can always love you the way you would want them to.  I have learned what it means to love. So I've stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes.  I have discovered that the greatest and most fulfilling love I have ever known is self love and if I didn't love myself for who I am no one else could love me and I couldn't love the God that created me.

I know that life isn't always fair and I don't always get what I think I deserve, and I have stopped personalizing every loss or disappointment. I've learned to accept that sometimes bad things happen to good people and that these things are not a slight from God or a purposeful stab against me, but merely the way life goes.

I know that FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real and I've learned to step right into and through my fears, because to give into fear is to give away the right to live life on the terms that God has already set upon me. I know that to counteract my fears I must have faith. I've learned to trust in God's plan and go after what I want and not to squander my life living under a cloud of indecision or feelings of approaching doom and gloom that may never come.



I have learned to make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting and to stay open to every wonderful opportunity and exciting possibility put before me. I even take moments to look at the trees and bumblebees outside my window to remind myself what beauty there is in simplicity.

Finally I have learned that when God is for you and you keep Him first and by your side you can do anything and live your life fully without reservation or regrets.  I know a little about the Power of Prayer. I know in some of my darkest, most painful and frightening hours, I have prayed, not for the answers to my prayers or for material things, but for God to help me find the strength, confidence and courage to persevere and face each day and to do what I must do to honor Him through helping others.

I, without a doubt, know I am an expression of the almighty. The spirit of God resides within me and moves through me and I share that spirit daily with others. I have learned to open my heart and speak to that spirit and I know it always heals and empowers me.  God has never failed me and never will.


I've learned it all, I know it all has a purpose, So I do what needs to be done to live the life that is most productive for me.  Yep, I have learned and my life couldn't be any better after every lesson.

What have you learned? How do you share your lessons with others? Our lives are living testimonies to others.  Share your lessons and recognize your lessons help others in their classroom of life.

I've Learned.... I Know... So I Do!

Racquel
Be Blessed, Be Encouraged & Be a Blessing!

Monday, July 4, 2011

Celebrate the 4th... Why?

Many have said to me, You are black why do you celebrate the independence of this country??? We were not free and were held as slaves and treated inhumanely ....

To that I say this....Knowledge is power & the past shapes the future. That knowledge of the past should definitely be looked at and discussed and seen for what it is. But, when you continue to live in that past by living in it in the present that is a problem.

Yes, I am a Black Woman, but I am an also an American. My ancestors helped to build this country, as a matter of fact it was built on their backs, and today I am blessed to have the liberties I have because of them. This is not just a "white" man's country, it is a country that is home to many who are different by sight but the same by being human beings!

Yes, I celebrate the Fourth of July, why? Because I have the FREEDOM to do so. Because my ancestors fought for me not to live the life they lived but to have the FREEDOM to live a life better than they ever had. I celebrate because my mind is no longer contained in thoughts of what was, but is now freed to thoughts of what is and what shall be.

We can no longer live in the past. We must learn about it, share those stories, see the lessons, share the lessons and use that past to push us forward to a brighter tomorrow. Too many are continuing to live in the past that their ancestors fought for them never to have to live through. Many are living enslaved in their mind spreading hate against a country they live in, but would never put their life on the line as their ancestors have done. It's time to reclaim minds and bring them to the present day. Stop reliving what our ancestors died for us never to relive.

Please know that realistically I know we as a country still have problems. In no way am I shunning those issues and sweeping them under the rug never to be looked at. That would be insane! I am saying we live in a free country and I celebrate that. We live in a country where we can come and go as we please and I celebrate that. We live in a country where we are able to look at the past and learn from it instead of being killed for learning. I celebrate that.

Let me be clear I am not celebrating the pain & hurt of the past. I am not condoning the what my ancestors went through. I am not condoning or celebrating what my people continue to go through day to day. I am celebrating that I have the Freedom to Fight any and all injustices I see today. I can't change the injustice of yesterday I can only fight for what I see Today. I ask those that say we shouldn't celebrate because of what our people went through, TODAY would you lay your life on the line for injustices like your ancestors did for you in order for your children to have better? Would you exercise that freedom TODAY? Instead of just talking would you take action? Or would you just sit and discuss and say why one shouldn't celebrate the FREEDOM we have TODAY to act and make a difference in our country? I often wonder if those who spit the knowledge, if they are really ready to take the action to make a real difference like their ancestors.

Yes, I celebrate Independence and I challenge all to use that independence to make a difference instead of attempting to hold others back in a past that our ancestors died for so we don't have to live it. Free your minds to the thought that this is your country just as much as it is any one else's. As you look at that flag and fireworks today know the Red is for the blood shed by each of your ancestors, the white is for their eyes that saw a better future for you and I and the blue is for the battles fought and won as we enjoy the liberties they have set for us.

This land is your land, this land is our land..... Once we believe this and see the sacrifices still being made we will see the reason to celebrate.

Peace and Blessings
Racquel