Be Careful What You Say

I’m a huge sports fan and love watching my grandson play baseball. Although I really miss the days of coaching both of my sons in Little League and encouraging my daughter in track and at the basketball games she cheered for, attending a game involving a grandchild gives a whole new meaning to the word coach.

Experience and expertise in something you enjoy can sometimes make you feel like you have permission to voice every opinion about a call, a coach’s decision, a great play, or a costly mistake. But what do people think about you based on your words and actions at sporting events?

I was reminded of that today at a hot June baseball game on a Saturday morning. I watched 13- and 14-year-olds make the typical mistakes that come with adolescence and occasionally deliver great hits and impressive plays in the infield at a Smyrna recreational league game.

More importantly, I found myself engaged in conversation with another grandfather in the bleachers about things far more meaningful than baseball. As we talked, we discussed high school sports and discovered that we attended schools in neighboring counties, though we never played against each other. We talked about our careers and even touched on retirement.

As we shared stories about growing up, we realized we had played baseball against some of the same people and that our paths had crossed in other ways over the years. The conversation led to discussions about pastors and churches we had attended that were similar, even though we had never belonged to the same congregation. I mentioned that I had once coached baseball at the Una Recreation Center, and he shared that he had attended a church in Una. Before long, we were discovering how many people we knew in common, including my best friend and someone he had grown up with.

In fact, my best friend had dated his sister in high school. It really is a small world!

While sitting in the bleachers, I called my best friend and asked about a girlfriend from 45 years ago. We laughed together as my new friend fed me stories and memories from their childhood. It’s not often that you get to have conversations with someone who starts as a complete stranger, only to discover that you’ve been connected for decades.

As our conversation continued, we even discovered that I had spoken to a group of senior adults at the same time he had performed there with his quartet. You never know when you will cross paths with people who have influenced your past or who may influence your future.

What would have happened if we had never started a conversation about sports, people, or the things we had in common? What if we had never asked each other’s names or mentioned people we knew? What if either one of us had spent the game using bad language, displaying a poor attitude, or misrepresenting who we were and what we believed?

Today, I walked away with several lessons from what seemed like an ordinary 13- and 14-year-old baseball game.
•  People are listening to what we say.
•  People are watching how we act.
•  People are making connections based on who we know.
•  People are interested in what we believe.

We are all looking for meaningful relationships and for things that bring happiness, peace, and joy into our lives. Sometimes those opportunities are sitting right next to us in the bleachers.

Choose actions that invite connection and relationships rather than always needing to be right, knowing more than the umpires, or viewing a ballgame as just another item to check off a list. I love the game of baseball, but I enjoy meeting people in the bleachers just as much as I enjoy the game itself.

We all need to remember: be careful what you say and what you do, because it may be remembered for a very long time.