Are You Ready?

I can never say enough about how wonderful it is to get to know women who have been in baseball much longer than I have, to learn from and lean on when things get hard or frustrating.  One such woman is Taffee, the wife of Cy's former pitching coach from the Timber Rattlers last season.  Taffee and I got to be good friends during our time in Wisconsin, and I am so thankful for all of the wisdom she has and continues to share with me and the way she immediately welcomed me and made me feel at home.

The other day, Taffee and I were chatting about our offseason and what we had been up to, when she asked if I was ready for the upcoming season.  I told her I was as ready as I would ever be, laughing since really there's no way to truly be prepared for what baseball is going to throw at us next ;)

It got me thinking about how different I feel approaching this season than I did last season.  Now that I have my first season of being a full-time traveling baseball wife under my belt, I feel so much more at ease with the quirks that come with it.  Last spring I was anxious, not knowing what to expect or how to really prepare for the season ahead.  There are SO many possibilities and unknowns, and it can be hard to wrap your head around that and let go of the need to have everything under control.

Last year we had no idea what level we would be starting at until a few days before we left spring training.  We had no idea if we would be able to find a host family once we got there.  We had no idea if I would be able to find a job.  We had no idea if there would be other wives on the team to be friends with. Lots of unknowns! Having never experienced any of it before, you can imagine how that could be rough for little newlywed me ;)

But it all turned out great, despite the stressful times and the learning curves! I learned to just roll with what each day brought, and to be content with taking each day as its own without worrying (mostly...) about the next step.  My faith plays a huge role- I truly believe that there is a purpose and an opportunity for me in every season and situation, so it is best for me to trust and embrace that. Knowing that I do NOT have to be in control of every detail is so freeing! All I have to do is embrace each day and do my best with where we are.

So going into this season, I am at peace. I know a little better what to expect (anything and everything!) what is worth getting concerned about (nothing!) and how to stay content. Although we are with a new team, which brings a whole new set of things to learn, everything has been great so far! We aren't 100% sure where we will be this season yet but we have a good idea, and either way things will be great.

So yes, I'm ready for this upcoming season. It's hard to prepare for a season when I can't really plan ahead, but it's much easier now knowing that everything will work out one way or another- just gotta roll with it :)