We live in a fairly rural area, on the edge of a major city. We are accustomed to a wide variety of wildlife all around us. We’ve identified dozens of birds, trees, flowers, frogs, toads, peepers, bats, and grasses. Not to mention snakes, lizards, and assorted slimy, slithering, crawly things. So, it’s no surprise …

Old Dog Read More »

Just because something is simple does not make it easy. Think about it. In baseball, to go from a .250 (read: two fifty) hitter to a .300 (three hundred) hitter requires the player to get one more hit per week. If an average week includes six games, and each game brings the person to the …

Simple. Not Easy. Read More »

Halftime. Go to any game: football, basketball, hockey, and there will be equal parts before and after a break in the action. You’ll see cheerleaders, mascots, and people trying to win a new car by throwing a basketball into the net from half-court or shooting a puck into the crease from center ice. Baseball is …

Seventh-Inning Stretch Read More »

There is no perfect metaphor. Whenever we try to understand or talk about some important aspect of our life, like our love for another person, or an experience like seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time, we often resort to metaphor in describing it. We say something along the lines of “my love is …

Overcoming Shame with my “Bat” Read More »

I used to wonder why professional athletes would need a month (or more, if you’re a pitcher) to get ready for a full, regular season of baseball. Haven’t these people been playing ball since they were five years old? Did they play last year? Are they likely to learn something new over the next few …

Spring Training Read More »

Have you ever heard of the expression, “arrival psychology?” I know the phrase as a counseling expression used within the Recovery community; especially those overcoming addictions. I have also heard it used to describe the kind of thinking common among people wrestling with shame and shame triggers. Not surprisingly, also people we see in the …

Ok…When… Read More »