Tossed

My muse has disappeared for all things new and exciting, so to keep my site fresh, I'm swimming backwards in time to write about experiences that left lasting memories in my brain.

I welcome any insight or other related memories that you could add to my stories, since years and decades have passed since most of these events transpired, and I might be coloring a very different picture than how you remember it. So please don't hesitate to comment.

During a little league baseball game when I was about 11 years old, the home plate umpire ejected me for arguing a called third-strike. I was passionate about baseball, and I had quite the temper. I still remember the rage I felt for being dealt with so unjustly,and seeing my mom rush down from the stands to escort me off the field. The anger and shame took some time to go away, and it wasn't until my Dad fished me out of the van (I was holed up crying somewhere, I think) that I finally calmed down. I feared that he was going to kill me--I mean, how embarrassing is it to have your kid ejected from a ball game? So I was pleasantly surprised by his calm, rational reaction, and I still remember him telling me that, "Never let them see you sweat."

I still get mad when I feel I've been dealt with unfairly. In fact, at a recent church league basketball game where I felt the officiating was horribly one-sided, I nearly exploded. But I've not regressed to the way I once was, and I feel that I act much more level-headed when presented with stressful circumstances.