Entertainment

I went to watch the softball team affiliated with our church last night. They were stuck with the late game, which ran from 8:50 to about 9:40 (and that was ended early!). It's not precisely a "church softball team," as (1) I recognized no more than half the players, and (2) it's not in the church softball league (by design). But it's run as a way for people in the church to reach out to others, and get involved with non-Christians.

There were precisely two "fans" in attendance. A co-worker of one of the players, and me. She stood by the dugout talking to her friend when she (the player) was not on the field, and I sat quietly on the bleachers, occasionally clapping. Hardly a boisterous fan base.

Fortunately, the team didn't need our support much. They cruised to a 16-0 lead in the first, expanded it to 20-0 in the second, and won on the 20-run-lead mercy rule that kicks in in the third inning (as the "home" team, they didn't need to bat in the third after allowing only 1 base hit).

I was impressed that, as bad as they were, the other team appeared to be having fun despite the blowout. The umpire was a little generous on the calls in their favor, and admitted as much. And they stayed around to play by themselves when the game was up. In a world where sports are taken so seriously, it's nice to see some people that are only there to have fun - and for whom that is more than a nice platitude.

Today's tip: enjoy the ride. If life's all about success and winning and beating everyone else, you're going to feel like crap when you fail. But if you allow yourself time to focus on the other things, life's a lot more pleasant.