I pull my jersey over my head and immediately the excitement builds in my body. Adrenaline is something I live for and playing ball provides me just that.
I drive to the diamond, music blaring from the speakers and visions of throwing the winning pitch or sliding into home plate dance through my mind.
I lace my shoes, grab my glove and walk onto the field for a warm-up. There’s something so familiar, so comforting about that ball. I grip the laces with my fingers and the game is on.
I am in my element. I feel at ease, care-free, excited and confident. I feel as if nothing can stop me and nothing ever will. Throwing each pitch with focus into the catcher’s glove is like expelling sheer passion from my body and turning it into something magical.
If you have had ever experienced a moment like this in your life then you too will know what I am talking about. Its that unexplainable level of joy and love for something. We all have it, we just need to tap into it, and tap in often.
The truth is, if we play more we enjoy more and if we stress less we are healthier.
My love of softball started before I even started school, rode a two wheeler or could write my full name. I first stepped onto the ball field when I was 4 years old. I will never forget that navy blue t-shirt that read “Westover” across the chest. The memory of hitting that small white ball off the black rubber tee and running around the small square white and tattered bases will forever be engrained in my mind.
The smell of the cool spring breeze and the fresh cut lawn will always remind me of ball season.
The very things we did as kids are the very things where happiness begins. They are also the very things we should revisit as adults. It’s where our imagination, creativity and drive for life comes from, at least in my opinion.
Regardless if it was jumping rope, climbing trees, skating, playing a sport or diving for coloured rings in the neighbour’s pool, life was simple and fun.
There are 4 main things I want you to consider with regards to enjoying life more, finding your happiness and staying active while doing it.
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More Fun = Less Stress
When we enjoy things more we stress way less. Do your best to live in the moment and enjoy things just for what they are. Believe it or not, laughter is a full body experience and it releases endorphins that are responsible for feelings of euphoria. Do you really need another reason to have fun?
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Happiness is contagious.
Laughter can easily spread from one person to another. When our kids are having fun, joking, doing what they love it transfers to us as parents. The same rings true for us, when we continue doing the things that make us happy our kids see that and mimic it.
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Worrying is wasteful.
Fearing the unknown is a total waste of time. Fearing things that you have zero control over is a waste of energy. I have been working on this concept for many years and continue to do so but one thing I will say it that when I stop worrying about what I cannot control I am far more satisfied with what is right in front of me.
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Your time is limited.
Why not make your time here on this earth the very best it can be. Do the very things that make you smile, reduce your stress and keep you in your happy place. Try new activities like paddle boarding, cycling, weight training or do old things you use to love when you were a kid but have not done in so long. You would be surprised at how amazing you feel and how happy you can be!
To conclude, I go back to my 50/50 rule, it’s super important to do the things in life that need to be done (chores, cooking, childcare etc.) as well as (planks, squats, bridges) but it’s also even more important to do the things that truly make us happy (date night, hiking, dancing) as well as (baseball, zumba, skating).
Since exercise plays a huge role in our serotonin levels which are our keys to happiness, what better reason do you need to stay active than this?
Get out there and exercise your happiness everyday!