​Driving home from my essential job this week, I passed a father hitting fly balls with a baseball bat to his son in a grade school field. It brought back memories.
 
Many years ago, I played men’s league baseball, before our kids were born, and for a number of years afterwards when they were very young. One of the other members of our team, the third baseman, would bring up his enthusiasm about having a kid so you could hit fly balls to and watch chase them over a green open field. I shared that desire.
 
Life ensued, and my wife and I had three kids, one of them a son, and I did hit and throw them pop flies when they were younger, but not for long. None of them stayed with the sport. Our son lasted until 8th grade, but coaches had long ago taken over for dad when it came to playing catch and throwing batting practice.
 
My men’s league buddy raised with me the feeling of the full-body joy of sprinting after a baseball in open space, the sphere orbiting above you as you drew a bead on it, trying to circle underneath to place your feet and feel it’s smack into the web of your leather glove. There is nothing quite like that. Hitting a baseball square so that you feel no vibration from the wood is a similar nostalgic feeling from days gone by of playing the sport.
 
In our virus-laden cautionary timeframe, watching that father and son got me thinking: “Why not do some social distancing while playing catch and/or hitting fly balls to a friend?” Great idea.
 
I’ve been preparing to play men’s over-55 baseball this summer anyway, so this fit right in. The team I sought to join had disbanded and the two guys I knew on the team were still seeking to finding a roster spot elsewhere, so nothing has happened on that front yet.
 
As I’d mentally prepped to play, I’d sought out several other friends who might also be interested. I called him this past Friday for some social distancing catch.
 
Sadly, it being Wisconsin, Friday night fish fries can take over, and he and his wife were heading over to their son’s house to indulge. We hope to set a future date soon though.
 
I thought through my list of contacts of who else might be interested in feeling the whack of ball in leather, breathing the crisp spring 48-degree air, extra clear these past few weeks as car driving, airplane traffic and industrial emissions have plummeted. Several names surfaced, but none necessarily convenient for me to pop over for a quick visit, slide on the glove and talk some BS long distance while we loosened our arms.
 
I will do this. It’s the perfect form of hanging out for the virus age. Perhaps playing catch and hitting fly balls to friends will be a new way to have conversations as we talk loudly to each other over longer distances. Who knows?

I see high school kids throwing footballs 40 yards from each other. Soccer players are practicing launching long kicks at goalies from way out. A father hits fly balls to his son. There’s an unbridled sense of release I get watching these scenes as I pass by in my automobile. My glove and ball wait at home.

​“I can change my mind in an instant.”
 
A friend of mine emailed me that line a few weeks back. He listens to others’ views, and if they make sense and he considers the facts and logic of what was presented to him, he remains open to revising his perspective and adopting that of the other person.

It’s an admirable quality in short supply. Even showing respect for others’ views seems to have dwindled a lot the past three years, and with the coronavirus raging, there seem to be even shorter tempers.
 
I’ve always wondered why “changing your mind” is seen in a negative context, particularly politically. It’s almost like you’re branded a traitor if you listen to someone else and they convince you of something you didn’t believe beforehand.
 
Instead, as my friend pointed out in his email, it should be a sign of maturity and intelligence to listen to others and be open to what they say, and be willing to challenge your personal beliefs. And, egads, even adopt those of someone who you might have disagreed with in the past.
 
It’s a sign of growth for people to change. It’s a sign of growth that you are open to receiving new information and thinking about it instead of rejecting it outright. But it’s hard because it forces you to work. You have to think. You have to listen. You must be willing to discard preconceived notions you have about the way life is.
 
Years ago, when Congressman Richard Gephardt from Missouri ran for President in 1987, an ad from the Democratic nominee for President, Michael Dukakis, branded Gephardt as “flip flopper.” The ad has gone down in history as an all-time classic political ad for branding Gephardt as someone who continually changed his opinions, which led to him dropping out of the raise.

In essence, the ad showed flip flopping images designed to disparage Gephardt for changing his views. That message is that it’s “bad” or “evil” to change how you approach an issue, rather than a positive sign of growth that you’ve listening to new information and reformed how you see things.
 
We’re in a rapidly changing environment, folks. We’re being asked to absorb a TON of information in a very short period of time regarding the virus and understand what is best for our families, loved ones, jobs, businesses, both in terms of health and finances.
 
My friend speculated in his email that perhaps 10 percent of U.S. citizens make the attempt to see someone else’s point-of-view. I’m not sure if that stat is high, low or accurate because I don’t think anyone has ever polled on that issue.

The point my friend makes is that a majority of people don’t hear others out. It’s there that I believe he is accurate. And we can all change that because it only takes effort to listen and we can all do that. It comes down to our respective personal desire to pay attention to others.
 
Changing your mind is an under-valued quality. It’s looked down upon.
 
We should revise that. Make it so we respect others who choose to change their minds. Make it something we look up to. It would certainly make our society more civil and oriented towards looking ahead rather than reliving the past.

​Our mom had some spectacular sayings. Ones that were life affirming and lessons on how to get the most from each day.
 
“The world would be a better place if people would eat when they’re hungry and take a nap or go to bed when they’re tired.” That one stood out to me in its simplicity. If we could all go get a snack when those hunger pains gnawed at us, and hit the sack when we’re ready to nod off, we’d eliminate a lot of our edginess. Stop being so cranky. Be a bit happier and easier to get along with.
 
“Lower your expectations and grow your own vegetables” was another one. Still sticks with me on many days. Stop wanting so much, understand your limits, be pleased with what you get, and while you’re at it, grow some of your own food. Take care of yourself. The more you do those things, the more your spirit can reach out to touch others. She gave us so much wisdom, insight and kindness.
 
As the coronavirus continues to rage across the United States, infecting our minds as well as the bodies of many, I’m working hard to remember another of her sayings and keep it at the forefront of my mind as I go about my daily life: “Always have something to look forward to.”
 
She developed and used this phrase more frequently as she got closer to the end of her life. She found it tremendously important to have something on her personal agenda that she looked forward to, that motivated her. It could be a trip. It could have been walking our dog, or picking up the garbage along the road in Topeka, KS. Maybe it was her morning workout or an evening cocktail or a golf outing with her women friends.
 
Whether it was any of those upcoming events or something different, it was motivational for her. We need that now. Each of us.
 
One of the big negatives we experience in this virus-laden moment is an overwhelming sense of personal, emotional, psychological and financial negativity and uncertainty. It’s hard to stay positive. It’s hard to find those things to look forward to.
 
For me, I can no longer work out at our fitness facility, something I looked forward to several days a week. I enjoy movies at the theater and golf, and both have been eliminated. My wife and I like to go out Saturday evenings to a restaurant. That’s gone. We appreciate church. No more services. I like seeing friends for coffee or an occasional lunch. Bye bye, not happening.

We must adjust. It’s important for all of us to adapt. Look inside and build something new.

This past weekend, my wife and I drove an hour north to Horicon, WI, to hike in a noted bird watching area. We found a jewel of scenery and an inspiring story of a wetland recreated by our species’ ability to engineer and recreate an environmentally sensitive area after previously destroying it. Quite frankly, I was inspired.

Today, as I write this, I’ve returned from taking our dogs to Lake Michigan for a walk and some stick retrieval in its frigid waters. This afternoon, on a glorious 46-degree day, I pedaled my bike for the first time this year. I’m sore and tired.
 
I took a nap this afternoon and now write this. These things satisfy me. Give me pleasure. Are some of the smaller things worth looking forward to and being grateful for in our current changing circumstances. I hope you have these as well.