LJ Idol Season 10 Week 3 Brushback Pitch

[puppetmaker]

When I was in college I played on the history department softball team because I could hit. My fielding was OK but I was really good at smacking the ball into places that people weren’t so we could get the base runners around. There was one pitcher for the philosophy team that liked to push people back with a rather vicious pitch. It was the only time I got hit in the head with a softball where my ears were ringing after contact. He got called on it by the umps more than once but persisted in using that pitch to keep the batters off balance.

Life can do that to you too. The saying ‘life is what happens when you are making other plans’ is so very true. It throws curve balls at you that make you take a step back or there is contact and you deal with the fallout from that.

Some of the curveballs that life has handed me so far were doozies and I am sure that there are still a number of them out there for me to either duck or deal.

However I have found in my fifty-three years on this planet that things have an odd way of working out for me. At the time it might not seem so, but looking back on what happened it was necessary for that to happen so I am where I am and who I am today.

They say that adversity builds character. A friend once told me after his seventh surgery to correct an issue after a car accident that he could use a little less character in his life. And it is true that which does not break you makes you stronger but like a broken bone, there is still the echoes of the fracture through out one’s life.

I was once asked if I had any serious regrets about my life so far. And I honestly said no. Sure there are the little regrets that occasionally I will revisit in my head but nothing that I really feel was serious. I am happy about my life and where I am in it. I love being a mom. I love all the things I have been able to do because I am a puppeteer and a stage manager and a book editor and a comic book enthusiast and a voracious reader and a published writer and….well you get the idea. I have done a lot in my life and with my life.

Life has thrown some pitches at me both good and bad. I find myself married to a writer, which is not what I expected. I never expected to be a canonical Dr. Who author but I am along with having written for the Ghostbusters comics and creating whole worlds with my husband. I never expected to have to take on the role of caretaker and spokesperson for my husband after his stroke.

I find myself having a large group of people that I call friend who are about as diverse as can be but than I am a rather diverse person. That I am friends with people who I admired when I was younger is mind-blowing to me. And then to find out that there are people who think the same of me is just another level of mind blowing. I’m just me.

I made a decision years ago to just go with what came at me and try to knock it out of the park. I have had my successes and my misses. I have even been nailed by a pitch or two. But I pick myself up, dust myself off, and get back into the batter’s box or take my base.

Comments

[baxaphobia.livejournal.com]

Smile. You've done so much. Life certainly isn't boring in your world!

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Boring is not a word I can attach to my life and I am rather happy about that.

[penpusher.livejournal.com]

Terrific autobiography and great multi tie ins with baseball within it.

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you and thank for commenting

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

The above was from me but I was signed out for some reason

[rayaso.livejournal.com]

You did a great job of weaving the prompt into this! I am sorry about your husband, but I am glad the rest of your life is working out. I read a survey once that suggested that people get happier as they age, when they reach a point where all the drama fades and life settles down.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Thank you for your kind comments.

I think you are right. There comes a point where what is really important changes radically

[my-name-is-jenn.livejournal.com]

Life has a very serious talent for throwing curve balls, especially when you're least expecting them.

[dmousey.livejournal.com]

And it is true that which does not break you makes you stronger but like a broken bone, there is still the echoes of the fracture through out one’s life.

This line alone was worth the read. My 53 years agrees with your 53 year observations about life! And here by the shore, we're say we're just 'going to ride the wave' when life's tide comes rolling in.

Thanks for penning. Hug and peace~~~D

[adoptedwriter.livejournal.com]

I like how you tied baseball into this entry so well.

[halfshellvenus.livejournal.com]

A friend once told me after his seventh surgery to correct an issue after a car accident that he could use a little less character in his life.
I can sure understand why he'd feel that way.

You've certainly rolled with what life has dealt you, whether good or bad, and that flexibility has made you much happier than most people might be.

[alycewilson.livejournal.com]

A good motto for us all!

[murielle.livejournal.com]

Wonderfully reflective piece that really incorporates the prompt well. Must say I agree with your friend - I could also use a little less character!

[magazhchi.livejournal.com]

Well said and some great food for thought. This was a nice take on the prompt.

[uselesstinrelic.livejournal.com]

You sound like you've had a lot of life experiences and a great attitude about how you roll with them.

[sinnamongirl.livejournal.com]

I like the metaphorical pitches of life :)

[mamas-minion.livejournal.com]

It sound like you have been able to handle all the pitches thrown your way and that you have lived a very fulfilling life so far!

[devilz-workshop.livejournal.com]

Going with the flow seems like a nice ideology. Nice to know that you have taken everything in stride.

[eternal-ot.livejournal.com]

I like what you did here, the transition was gradual and I loved the progression. Good Job!

[bewize.livejournal.com]

Keep on keeping on!

Good entry. :)

[flipflop-diva.livejournal.com]

This is such a thoughtful take on the prompt — and so true. Life likes to throw all sorts of pitches all the time :)

[rswndrlst.livejournal.com]

That last paragrapg has basically become my whole philosophy in life. Learning to be adaptable and take like as it comes at you whatever the consequences. This is really inspiring.