I started playing softball a little young, smallest on the field, never touched a bat or glove really just was signed up to play. I don’t even recall asking for it or having a friend who played on the team I was put on. My first time up to bat, I don’t recall going to a practice before hand, they told me to swing at a “strike” and showed me where that zone was. Typically I’m not the type to take instructions mainly because they don’t make sense to me, but yes, at times, out of defiance. Bottom line, I don’t like being told what to do.

I heard all the info and my heart was racing. I was scared! Would I be struck out? Would I be struck? Who knows right! Here we go! She threw the first pitch and I swung. HOME-RUN. Well, a home-run of errors. I ran like the dickens to first base only to see the young lady drop the ball so I ran to second. My coach is screaming for me to stop running, but I just looked at him and then saw the second base young lady drop the ball too, so I headed for third. The screams for me to stop continued but it didn’t make any sense to me. Isn’t the goal to get home? Isn’t that where I am supposed to be? Sure enough the third base little lady missed the catch and I took off for home despite people waving me back to third. WHY!?! I just remember being blinded by my goal and my coaches laughing saying: “Next time Michelle, listen to us because that isn’t the best way to play.” Of course I’m not sure exactly what was said to me, I do recall there was a lot of laughing, a lot of celebrating and a lot of me feeling like I did the right thing, despite being told to stop, go back, that’s wrong, no!

I guess what I knew at a young age was do you, you got it. Go home if you see a way. Don’t listen to them, they don’t see what you see. I love that little girl for reminding me of that today.