Happiness Is | Softball Is For Girls

For parents, it’s sometimes so easy to spend our time worrying and stressing about the ‘struggles.; The team drama, the playing time, what we feel is fair and unfair, bad calls and bad luck. It’s easy to worry about the money, what the best thing to do for our daughter is, and to feel frustrated over decisions made. We love our kids. We want to see them happy and successful, and so of course we worry.

Even so, there is something addictive – something strong that runs through our veins and hearts, something that draws our kids into sports, and this sport in particular – that we cannot ever deny the good in our sport always outweighs the bad. Seriously…why else would we sit out there freezing our tails off for hours on end, or endure boob sweat when we have perfectly good air conditioning at home; if it wasn’t for the LOVE of the game and the love of our children.

So today….a gentle reminder of your blessings, of your happiness….

Happiness IS……

Happiness is the look on our daughters face when she gets that hit that finally breaks her slump….

Happiness is a perfectly executed double play to end the inning that ends the final game before the championship.

Happiness is a field where the girls (and the parents) do not have to look directly into the sun….

Happiness is a sno-coned ball in the outfield and the whole team jumping for joy at the same time and high-fiving their team mate.

Happiness is a concession stand that serves SWEET TEA, and tournaments WITHOUT GATE FEES!

Happiness is a pitcher on a role, throwing filthy dirty pitches and racking up the K’s. (especially when that pitcher is our daughter)

Happiness is a runner picked like a booger while stealing, changing the momentum of the ENTIRE GAME!

Happiness is the sound of girls supporting one another, lifting one another up, and realizing that the lights on the softball SHINE on everyone, and there are no shadows.

Happiness is having the wind at your back when you are up to bat!

Happiness is the feeling you get when you see other people cheering for, and authentically happy for your daughters success.

Happiness is the coach who has worked tirelessly finally seeing his/her hard work come to fruition on the field when his/her team suddenly seems to ‘get i’ and the little things start working.

Happiness is watching an under dog team come from behind to win the game.

Happiness is being one of the last teams out of the park, being chased by the darkness when the lights go off.

Happiness is a daughter asleep on the way home from the ball field, cheeks stained from the wind and sun, and clothes streaked with brick-dust.

Happiness is watching your daughter — and her friendships grow.

Happiness is seeing a 14-year-old girl, not too old, or proud to sit on her daddy’s lap between games.

Happiness is seeing girls actually TALKING TO ONE another, and phones sitting lonely in fold-up chairs.

Happiness is stealing a base, and being safe!

Happiness is seeing that one new pitch, that pitch she’s been working on persistently, finally be thrown for a strike!

Happiness is watching your baby girl sign her NLI!

Happiness is watching the girl who wanted to quit, a few years later beasting it out on the softball field and HAVING FUN!

Happiness is having a coach that believes in your daughter as much as you do!

Happiness is watching your daughter start to BELIEVE in herself!