Week 25 2024

“…if needed.”

It’s another softball weekend—my daughter plays on a travel team, and we just finished a full day of games. Tournament weekend usually follows the format where the first day is pool play—when teams play to establish where they will be placed in bracket play—and bracket play, where if you win, you continue. If you lose, you’re out (in a single elimination format).

The bracket format of “win and see when we play next” means I enter all possible times my daughter’s team will play next if they win into our digital calendar. I added a lot of “Game if needed” entries to the calendar.

There’s something profound about “…if needed.” I mean, isn’t most of living “…if needed”? Things happen—a car breaks down, a wedding, food poisoning, good news about a raise, finding peace about a health diagnosis, and everything after these events are “…if needed.”

It seems the takeaway here is, don’t plan on all of the “…if needed’s” happening. There’s no guarantee. Play the game you’re in right now. Field the grounder, make the throw, celebrate the stolen base. The “…if needed’s” will be waiting when you get there.

that is, if you get there.