Many of you already know that my Mother is currently fighting breast cancer, if your finding out just now then I apologize for the shock. She found out a couple weeks ago and is scheduled to have it removed in a few days, and Lord willing she will be cancer free in a few short months. Since finding out about her ailment I have found myself often thinking about the past. I know this sounds foolish since nobody, including her doctors, feel like this is a life threatening issue. However my Mother has been one of my biggest role models my entire life and I think it is perfectly natural to reminisce in times like these. That being said, don't be surprised if on occasion I post a childhood story on here that will either make you laugh or cry, sometimes maybe both!
At the age of ten, I was no different than most other boys, eager to play just about any sport that was available. Baseball had become one of my favorite of these sports because it involved a team effort, team sports were good for me because to put it bluntly I had missed a few of the athletic branches on my decent from the family tree, I needed all the help I could get. My Dad had excelled at every sport he participated in, often he and his older brother were the two stars of the team. He always tells us of the championship game where his brother was pitching and he was catching, after failing to find the strike zone after a couple innings they switched, right there on the pitchers mound! The strategy was a success as they went on to win the game. Somehow though, the athletic gene had skipped me and although I wasn't superb at any sport I played, what I lacked in skill though I made up for in effort.
The summer I turned ten I had tried out for and made a B league baseball team and was overrun with excitement! This was an actual team, with real jerseys and a huge stadium with seating for at least 50, this was the big leagues! After a few weeks of practice the biggest day of my young baseball career was about to happen, we were about to get our jerseys! The team I played for was sponsored by Taco Johns and the jerseys were nothing special, grey with a number on the back, but the coolest part was the hat. The hat was fascinating, it had a dark blue front with a mesh back and the Taco Johns logo right on the front. I planned on wearing it everywhere, people were going to know that I played semi-pro ball for the Taco Johns organization, at least thats what I was going to tell them. Upon receiving the uniforms, we were told one thing, if we loose or destroy the hat, we would be required to replace it at our own expense. I wasn't worried about it though, this thing was never going to leave my sight!
On a ride home from school on the bus one afternoon my world as I knew it was crushed. I was sitting together with my best friend, who was a teammate of mine who was also wearing his new hat, when up the aisle walked a high school guy who had a reputation of being somewhat of a bully. He stopped beside our seat, snagged my hat off my head, and said "matching hats, how cute". He then ripped the bill right off my hat like it was a piece of paper, and throwing the bill on the floor, snugged the hat back on my head, grinning as he walked back to his seat. I picked up the bill and held it in my hands like it was a wounded bird, trying to hold my emotions in check until I got home. I got home and showed my Dad, who had a few choice words for what the bully had done, he then just simply told me not to let this get me down and we'll get a new one.
I got a new hat and the season went on without a hitch, I didn't acquire any kind of baseball skills out of the traumatic ordeal, but I did learn a valuable lesson. My Dad's response and actions taught me that sometimes people are going to do things that are extremely insensitive, but I should not let these things get me down, after all it was just a hat. Many times since then I have been on the receiving end of some very hurtful acts, but never have I allowed them to alter my attitude. With the simple act of buying a $10 baseball cap, my Dad had taught me one of life's most valuable lessons. If someone or something knocks you to the ground, get back up, brush yourself off, and move on. Life is too short to allow minor speed bumps such as this to slow us down.
Remember, try to treat those around you as you would like to be treated:)
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