It's been one month since I started working with a Minor League Baseball team. There have been instances where I would lay my forehead on the table because of how frustrated I was. It wasn't because of the team, nor the people I work with, but with how things are different from what I'm used to. I needed a slap to the face and a reality check that it's not about what I've been involved with, its the fact that I should be blessed with the opportunities that I have in front of me.
Every season that I've worked in baseball, I would run stadiums at least once before the season started to be certain that I'm familiarizing myself with the set-up with how everything is. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, running stadiums basically means, a person will run up and down each section until you hit a certain point or area of stopping. Yesterday and the day before, I ran the stadium a few times, sat in different areas of the ballpark. From doing so, I’ve been able to connect what I would see from a seating chart to the actual seats. I did this a few months ago during Spring Training and it helped me gain a better understanding of how I could give better options for seating preferences and interact with fans on a more personable level. Whenever fans would come into the office, I didn't have a lot of knowledge about the seating arrangements, I took it upon myself that I needed to figure it out the answers versus asking questions to my co-workers when I shouldn't have to. I should've known the answers to these questions from the start, but I never got myself to figure out the answers. I‘m getting more comfortable with adjusting to how I did things back in Spring Training. I have to make it more of an integration of what I've learned from there and bring it here to Idaho. I need to know when to take a step back and not get easily frustrated. I'll be the first to admit that I'm one of those people that cannot hide their facial expressions. There have been incidences where I couldn't figure something out or I couldn't control the situation and that I would have to contact a company in order to fix the issue. Usually, I would be able to fix it myself or ask for in-house help, but unfortunately with what I've been assigned lately, I don't have that luxury. It has been one of the most frustrating things to adapt to but slowly but surely, I'm getting used to it. I just need to remember to stay calm, as best as I can, breathe and whenever I get flustered with something, to step away from my desk, walk outside and get some air. That usually does the trick of a re-charge.
Some things that I've lost sight of is to remember smile and laugh, have fun and don't forget to do things make me happy. Back in California and Arizona, I was able to attend spin classes and that's where I would always get my energy and made 5 am wake up calls bearable. Most people would say that I'm crazy, but doing activities that make yourself happy, it makes a significant difference out of your day. I keep in touch with a lot of spin instructors back in both states, I miss them everyday and whenever I see them posting playlists and videos of classes, I want to find a bike and start riding. Unfortunately here, there aren't dedicated studios to rhythmic spin. This was probably one of the most difficult adjustments I've had to make. Some of you follow me on other social media platforms and a couple months ago, I shared a story of how I've lost 15 pounds since October 31. I worked extremely hard to achieve that goal and it's been a blessing with having people by my side supporting me and wanting to keep me motivated to go even further. Since I am cooped up in an office a lot and staring at a computer screen. I started running early in the mornings, and get good energy from that to start my day. Being able to watch the sunrise to start a new day in Idaho is one of the best visuals I could ever see.
I'll still need some time to get used to all of the new things in my life here in Idaho, but I wouldn't have traded this for anything. I've taken some day/weekend trips to a few towns called Ketchum, Hailey and Sun Valley, places that I grew up going to ever since I was a little. I lost touch with this state when I was too busy with my life and aspirations that I missed out on doing a lot of things here. My grandma said Craters of the Moon was one of her favorite National Parks and they always had the cleanest bathrooms for a rest stop if needed.
My grandma passed away from lung cancer this past December and during the time of her passing was when I was offered this position here in Idaho. Some people thought I was crazy to come out here, but I consider it something that I needed to do and it was a perfect scenario for me. My first memory of spending time in Idaho was when I was 4 years old and I stayed with my brother at my grandparents ranch for two weeks and I didn't want to come back again, since there was absolutely nothing to do. I didn't know it at four years old, but I would've never thought I would grow to appreciate this state and what it has to offer. My grandma was like my best friend, she instructed me how to put bait on my hook to fish in the rivers, she taught me to never let anyone get in my way of what I want out of life and most importantly, she showed me how to be fearless. I miss her everyday but, I know she's always with me. I wouldn't have been able to take a leap of faith with the Chukars and Minor League Baseball if it weren't for her. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. This point of time in my life, where I'm struggling with the fact that someone who was really close to me is no longer here, being at a baseball stadium has been nothing but short of what I needed. Baseball stadiums are my happy place, no matter what, being at a game will instantly make me feel better. Despite the fact of how little things can bother me in the office, for example, one time I needed to make a straw out of a piece of paper to clean out a BOCA ticket printer because we didn't have can of air (which my diaphragm is still burning), I just know that this is just the beginning of my journey in life and that I have so many more years ahead of me and I won't let it go to waste. Life isn't always glamorous, especially working in sports, but I love waking up everyday knowing that I have a job that I have a passion for and to me, is a priceless thing in life.
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