Fall as a Baseball Family
I can hardly believe it, but it's almost that time of year again...that time when the days get a little shorter, the air a little cooler, and we embrace pumpkins, coziness, bonfires, boots and sweaters. It is a season for giving thanks, for family, friends and...fall baseball. What? There's baseball in the fall? Yup! This past week, we began our second year in college baseball. My husband and I can hardly believe that an entire year has gone by since we moved to Ohio and embraced this major life change. With my husband's one year anniversary with his school, we also begin fall ball. While they play no games (except a few scrimages), this season is filled with 4-5 nights per week of fieldwork and workouts (including weekends), meetings, analysis, paperwork, phone calls, assessment and grooming the team to readiness for the Spring season, which begins in February. To be completely truthful, I struggle with this part of baseball more than the actual season. Shocking, right? Fall is actually my favorite time of year. To me, it's a time to embrace family and the outdoors as the days become cooler, crisper, and more beautiful. Adventures are a must. Fall is amazing, but I've realized lately that I tend to deal with seasonal affective type depression. Due to that, the transition of late fall into winter can be tough. Coupled with the dramatic schedule change from summer routine to fall ball routine, it can be a little overwhelming. Part of the struggle, as I said, is due to us being together more during the summer, and having more freedom and flexibility in our schedules, where fall ball keeps us fairly tied down, and there are many days we hardly see Keegan. The other part, I think, is that during season, it's easier for our whole family to be involved. Yes, it's busy, and there are multiple home and away games, meetings and more, but we're able to be at the games, cheering, spectating, interacting, supporting. With fall ball, we might drop by a few practices, but it isn't something we can truly be a part of. I'm not saying all of this to evoke sympathy, complain or be unsupportive of my husband. This is part of it. We knew it would be a different lifestyle when we began this journey, and overall, we absolutely love it. It's our life, and who we are. That doesn't mean it's without its difficulties though, and this transition to fall ball is one of them. For those of you who aren't familiar with this lifestyle, here is a basic outline of what it looks like in the fall.
Husband works all day at his full-time job which is what allows him to coach.
Little Man and I go about our day. Run errands, work, play, household chores, cook supper, etc.
Husband gets off work late afternoon, runs home briefly if he has time, but often goes straight to the coaching offices or practice.
Practice lasts an unknown length of time, so it is difficult to plan around.
Same goes for meetings.
Sometimes the practice turns into a meeting.
I try to make a decent meal, but depending on the day, sometimes it's totally thrown together.
Most nights Little Man and I eat, and save food for Keegan. Some nights, I wait to eat just so I can actually get the chance to eat with Keegan.
Often, it's late enough when Keegan gets home that Little Man is in bed for the night.
We try to decompress and spend a little time hanging out together before we crash for the night.
Sometimes it is late enough, and we are tired enough, we go straight to bed.
Sometimes I am actually in bed before he gets home.
Now, this is a really basic look at fall ball. The schedule is ever-changing, so it won't look like this every day, and it's also not every day that he has practice or a meeting. However, this is a pretty accurate look at what our lives become during the heart of fall ball. I want to be real, and while there are some definite hard aspects to it, there is also a lot of good.
With much more time alone with Little Man, I think that last year, I became so much more creative with activities and little adventures for us to go on when Keegan was busy with coaching work. It was great bonding and I hope to embrace that again this year. The schedule is so crazy and inconsistent, that when we do get the chance to spend time together, I think we all value it more. We try to make the most of those evenings or days where there isn't anything baseball related planned, so we can rest, enjoy being together, or have a little getaway or adventure in our area. Those moments where we set work, worries and weariness aside, and focus on our little family are the absolute best, and it is those moments that will carry us through the harder parts. Life isn't ever just easy, no matter what lifestyle you live. The coaching life just adds a different layer to that. I'm learning that the hard is balanced out by the joy. I'm learning to embrace the life I've been given and to make the utmost best of it. I'm learning (trying)to breathe, slow down, focus on the good and embrace the simple and real. Will you join me? No matter where we are in life, we can find the good, beautiful and amazing. Let's embrace it.
