A World Without Softball

In a world put on hold by this pandemic, most of us are figuring out ways to fill our once busy schedules and how to keep outlooks on life positive. It is easy to look at social distancing as frustrating or monotonous, but we have been granted this time to self improve. Since there is no softball to talk about, I am going to talk about how a world with out it has helped me grow. Here are seven self improvements I started since quarantine began.

• Morning meditation. Every morning when I wake up I sit in bed for roughly 10-15 minutes and think about all of things in my life I am grateful for. I thank God for the life he has given me and the blessings that have been sent my way. I have also started writing down ways I want to grow as a person. A lot of articles that I have read say if you write down what you want to change it is more likely to stick in your mind through out the day, therefore accelerating the change.
• Mindful eating. Being an athlete, I never took concern to tracking what I put in my body, calories wise. I always burned enough to stay in shape. Since quarantine began, I have eliminated meat from my diet and started tracking the type of calories I put into my body. Mindful eating for both the environment and for my own health has been a game changer for me. Athletics has torn my body down in ways I cannot describe. I have stuck to mindful eating for almost two months and my body feels like it did in high school (which any collegiate athlete will tell you is an absolute miracle).
• Nightly walks with my family. We take our two pups on their nightly potty walk. At the end we let them race up the drive way to my mom. This has taught me the littlest things in life can be the best.

• Mending faded friendships. I have a bad habit of not reaching out to people if there has been a strain in the relationship. Even if I miss them, I sometimes get to prideful to admit that. So one morning when I was listing things I was grateful for, an old friend came up and then another. I have reached out to the people who I’ve lost contact with in hope of mending back the relationships to what they once were.
• Reading. I am currently reading a book called “Pound The Stone”. It has been great for self reflection and understanding how my actions can effect others. My goal this summer is to read one book a week.
• Rehabilitating my body physically and spiritually. Taking more time to stretch and do exercises that strengthen my weaknesses rather than simply focusing on what I am good at. I want to utilize this extra time I have been given to gain strength and remain healthy for next season.
• Eliminating use of social media. This has been the hardest but I think it will be the best change I have. Focusing on others all the time can be so toxic to self worth and self growth. I am in the process of going through a cleanse and limiting my time spend on all platforms combined to an hour a day.

Remember that perspective always leads to the outcome. The glass is always half full. Remember that and life will shine bright like it never has before. That is all the Augie Tea for today. See you next time.