But mom, the seatbelt is too tight! I’m not comfortable…Do you remember getting buckled too tightly and you can’t move an inch. Maybe you were strapped into a ride at an amusement park and couldn’t move. It’s not comfortable when you can’t move. Or have you ever felt like you’re holding onto something too tightly, or maybe you’re trying too hard to get something right? And then there are “those people” for whom it seems life is a breeze. Why can’t my life be easy like that?
In my younger days I used to play baseball. Baseball was actually my first love. When I was growing up in Maine we didn’t get many TV stations – only 4 that I remember. We had one network (CBS), PBS, and 2 Canadian stations. One of the Canadian stations would broadcast Montreal Expos games, and the games were on just about every summer night. Unlike most kids who grew up in New England watching the Red Sox, I grew up watching the Expos, and I was a big Expos fan. Gary Carter and Andre Dawson were two of my favorite players.
As I played Little League and school baseball, I began to learn the game, especially how to be a good hitter. It’s been said that hitting a baseball is one of the hardest things in sports, and one thing that many beginners (or poor hitters) do incorrectly is that they grip the bat too tightly. Their muscles are clenched, they squeeze the bat, and they swing too hard…and usually miss. One secret I learned when I was young was that you need to loosen the grip on the bat. Don’t squeeze it hard. If you loosen that grip and relax, you have a better chance and hitting the ball and getting the results you want.
When my baseball days ended, I eventually ended up playing more golf, and wouldn’t you know it, the same principle applies. For some reason we try to kill the ball when a relaxed easy swing is often best.
When I think about life and relationships, I think sometimes we may need to consider loosening our grip. Maybe we’re holding on too tightly to a relationship, or maybe we’re trying to control something that we can’t, and we need to let go a little bit. Perhaps there is a grudge from the past that we are clinging to with all our might. If you seem to be struggling with something, take a step back and assess your grip. Are you holding on too tight? Would it be better if you loosened up and let it go? On that note, I need to head to the course - now I need to figure out how to putt.
“Everything changes, both good and bad. Nothing stays the same. Loosen your grip. Embrace change. Leave room for the divine.” – Cheryl Hale
