Life lessons from baseball

It's a Sunday afternoon here in Arizona.  Only 4 more Sundays left of AIT then I get to leave and head back to Minnesota for a few days.  While I'm there, one of my biggest priorities is to get to a Twins game.  Now some think I'm crazy, that I love the sport of baseball so much.  Many don't understand....unless you're a baseball fan.  I call baseball the most romantic sport. Why?  Not only because, sitting outside on a cool summer night, the breeze just slightly blowing, a hotdog in hand, sitting with someone special, talking, reminiscing, living the game, is perfect, but because of the amazing history baseball has.  My dad always asked me "You know what sets baseball aside from any other sport?  It's the only sport without a clock." And it's true, you go to a game because you love it.  You're not in a hurry to leave, you're there because you never know when history will be made.

With sociology as my minor, I also love looking at the social aspects of the game.  What is going on in baseball, really reflects what's happening in the times outside the stadium.  For example, I watched "42" today, the story of Jackie Robinson.  While there was hatred for the man, simply because of the color of his skin, his team banded together, stood up for him as a player, and a man.  Eventually, so did the rest of the country.  You could make the argument that Robinson helped pave the way for the civil rights movement.

Baseball also teaches you about life.  There are hundreds of metaphors and literal lessons that can be learned. Everything I do seems to come back, or has the ability to come back around to the game. Here are some of the lessons I take from it, that someday, I'll pass onto my kids:

1. Play as a team.  In the Army, I find this is a challenge for so many.  Like baseball, there are times when it's on an individual to step up to the plate and hit that home run...or make a sacrifice. Then there's a time when you're in the field and you HAVE to work together.  If you don't, you're going to have errors.

2. Keep your eye on the ball. Any goal we set for ourselves is attainable.  If it wasn't it wouldn't even be a thought in our mind.  However, what people forget, is to reach that goal, you need to keep focusing on it. You have to want it so bad, that when you make contact, you hit it out of the park! You not only achieve your goal, you NAIL it! The best part? As soon as you hit that home run, you get another chance next inning to do it again! Never stop dreaming of hitting that ball. However, we will strike out sometimes, it's part of the game and it's part of life.  It's when you strike out and refuse to go up again, that you fail.  Did you know Babe Ruth is #95 in all time strikeouts, with 1,330 times? It's true, but he never quit.

3. Get your foot off the bag. So many times you see players getting a huge lead off. This is always a risky move, because you're just never sure what that pitcher is thinking.  However, sometimes in life you have to take risks, you have to go for that lead. Sometimes taking that risk is what will win the game. Be smart about it, but don't ever be afraid.

4. Get dirty.  As much as I love seeing the crisp, clean uniforms, when you see dirt and grass stains all over those uniforms, you KNOW that player gave their all.  They put their heart and soul into every catch out in left!  Don't be afraid to put your blood, sweat and tears into something you're passionate about.  If you give it your all everytime, you're going to be great.

5. If you're going to go down, go down swinging. You're going to strike out, deal with it.  We fail sometimes, it's called life. However, if you're going to strike out, don't do it by simply letting the ball fly past you. Try for it, and try hard! Do something! Don't just stand there!

6. Life isn't always fair.  I cannot tell you how many times I've been at a game when an umpire is calling strikes when it's clearly outside, or called someone safe when obviously they were out.  Yes, life isn't fair, deal with it and move on. Most times, they player will get up, and move on.  When it's your team, it seems like all the bad calls are on your.  However, as it is with life, it always evens itself out. Again, life isn't fair. It's going to through you curve balls and strikes, but in the end, it will balance itself out.

7. Hard work is just as important as talent.  Some just have natural talent for the sport, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have to work or that the person who doesn’t have as much natural talent won’t be more of an asset to the team. Hard work is more important if you ask me. If you want something you have to work for it. Sometimes you have to stop and ask, "how bad do you want it, and how hard are you willing to work for it?"  If you want something bad enough, you'll work everyday for it. In the end, the hard work will pay off.

8. The art of losing. I admit it, I’m a little on the competitive side. Everything I do is a competition and I don’t like being second place. However, losing isn’t always a bad thing. It teaches you how not to be a sore loser. It teaches you to be humble. There is always a winner and a loser and if you’re smart, you’ll find the lessons in losing. What went wrong? What could be better? What do you need to work on? If you can get real with yourself and learn from those mistakes, you’ll only come back stronger!

9. Sometimes it's all about the sacrifice. Sure, we all want that Grand Slam and to see our team mates come running out of the dugout to great us and the fans stand up and cheer, but sometimes what the team needs is a sacrifice. He wants you to bunt knowing that you will most likely get out but that runner on third needs to come home. It’s not always about us and what we want, sometimes we need to sacrifice for the good of others or our team. Life is about sacrifice.

10. Finally, have fun.  Whatever you do in life you have to love it. Passion is what makes life worth living. Baseball, like life, is a game. Through it all you’ll have good times and tough times but you must have fun and love what you do or it’s not worth it.  Find what you are passionate about and go after it. Life is too short to not enjoy every moment.


Every year I look forward to spring training, because I know SOON, I'll be able to be back at that park, the breeze in my hair, hotdog in hand and lucky hat on my head, cheer for my MN Twins

The journey continues...

So it has been a few months since I wrote last and oh my gosh, how life has changed a million times.

It's now been a LONG time since I started this journey.  So, here's a quick recap of the last 5 years of my life:

I was big. Really big.  I had a goal. I met that goal. And now, the story goes on...

Four months ago I left my cozy home in Chanhassen Minnesota for the world of the Army.  I got to basic training and what a trip that was!  I went to Fort Jackson, South Carolina and met some people I am so fortunate to call life long battle buddies.  Adjusting to all the yelling was hard, but obviously I survived. It was not nearly as challenging as I thought it would be.  PT in the morning was meh, it was those long marches carrying the weapons ALLLL day that really sucked. I learned a lot though, about me and what I could take and just how much I really loved the Army.  The ten weeks went by so quickly, I felt like I blinked and they were gone.  What I missed most: music! Whenever we got onto the buses that took us to places, and the radio was on, oh my it was a little bit of heaven. The obstacle courses were fun!  It was a lot of team building which in itself was a blast. I wish I could recap the whole ten weeks, but that would be pretty much impossible.  The thing I took out most from it, is the fact that I was able to do it.  When I started this thing at 266 pounds, if you told me I'd make it through basic training, I'd laugh.  When I marched on that field on graduation day, I was SO damn proud!

I'm now in the middle of my next step, AIT.  The information we're learning isn't necessarily hard, there is just SO much of it! Intelligence is  fun field, and there are a lot of people who don't like it, but I'm good with it.  Like everything I've learned on this journey, it's all what you make of it. I'm not the smartest in class, I'm not the strongest and fastest at PT, but I'll be damned if I don't have a lot of heart. I worked for over four years to get here.  And like my friend said to me before I left, during these next few months, it won't always feel like a dream, and I'm going to want to give up, but remember it's what I worked for. Since I've been here, life at home has been difficult which is putting a strain on my classes, but like my mentor said, I'm here to train, I'm here to be the best I can be at my job and nothing else really matters.  I've already been setting goals for myself for beyond the TRADOC life.  I'd love to get into counter Intel.  It's a lot of work, and I've already started studying for it.  The other thing I've been taking from this whole experience is the concept of integrity.  I've always held myself to a high standard for honesty, but now I'm holding everyone else to my level. (Sorry people!) Unfortunately, because of this concept, I'm going to be seeing a lot of world with just my dog. Life is throwing me curve ball after curve ball and I'm learning to go with it.  Sometimes the hardest thing to do in life is start over.  Okay, not sometimes, the hardest thing in life IS starting over.  10 years ago, if you came up to me and said "Cara, you're going to be in the Army, with a strong career, true battle buddies that have your back and a life you love," I would have laughed.  I never realized how unhappy I was until I got here.

What's next? Well, I'm headed to Colorado for the next three years of my life! I'm heading to 4th ID, 1st battalion! I am SO excited to start this life. I'll be a couple hours from blood family and a friend I've known my whole life!  I'm going to be with a battle buddy from basic, and my battle boo from here in AIT! Life is just beginning!

Sure, change is scary. My platoon sgt told us tonight "I don't even know where home is anymore," and that's a scary thought. However, in basic we had a Drill Sgt who reiterated daily "Home is where you hang your hat."  Yesterday my hat was in South Carolina, today it's in Arizona, tomorrow will be Colorado.  Every place I've gone has become home, not because it's where I sleep, or even where I hang my hat, but because I've learned that the Army is a big family, and home is where your heart is.  My heart is with the Army. I love this life, and right now, there is nothing I'd change about it.

So, my friends, the journey continues......