#BreakThings: Playing Catch

06.22.21

My husband is trying to teach me to play softball. Given that I have avoided all sports for the past two decades, we have to start by learning throwing and catching.

Yep, the basics. Five-year-olds no more about this than I do.

Last night, halfway through our nightly ritual, Kyle looked at me and said, “Dear, you have to stop closing your eyes when the ball’s coming at you.”

You see, I have a completely irrational fear of being hit with a softball. So when that glistening neon orb is flying toward me at speed, I flinch, I close my eyes, I occasionally jump out of the way like a spider on a hot plate. And the anxiety level during a game of catch? Bouncing ten.

Tonight, I’ll probably have a High Noon cocktail, half a Xanax and try again. I’m told softball is a sport often played while drinking so this level of intoxication is expected.

It’s a work in progress.

One Gratitude Thing // At some point in the last decade, gratitude become a buzzword. We’ve become so obsessed with being grateful that we’ve created a whole new thing called toxic positivity. But when done right, gratitude can be essential to keeping our lives in perspective.

This article from Intelligent Change discusses how to be grateful when things are hard. Because even though we’re emerging from the pandemic, things are still not easy.

One Travel Thing // What time should you arrive at the airport for your flight? Should that change given the current post-pandemic travel debacle? Conde Nast Traveler has the explainer you need.

One Beauty Thing // Luxury beauty products almost never go on sale. So saving 10% on everything at Bloomingdale’s is a deal you shouldn’t miss. I have a few empties I needed to replace, so any discount is welcome.

One Food Thing // Like most Southerners, my Mom grew up on red velvet cake. So this Washington Post article about the cake’s origin story and it’s place in Black culture and the American food scene was really interesting. Sadly, all the red velvet in my neck of the woods is too sweet, or I’d be eating a slice right now.

One Last Thing // As I continue to struggle through losing this pandemic weight so I can feel my best, this was the message I needed to hear.