saturday evening, max had his final baseball game of the season. it’s been a long, hard season for my little 8 year-old. baseball is not his biggest gifting. lots of other stuff he’s fantastic at — but he’s not a natural baseball player. he knew this going into this year, and we gave him the option if he wanted to play this season or not. he struggled and cried and agonized over the decision, but finally decided to play.

the other day, he told jeannie he’s done with baseball after this season. so today, i knew it was his last game (he finally got two hits in today’s game, which was SUCH a relief for us, and for the coach!). after the game, he and i were heading to the car to drive to the post-season team pizza bash, and i asked him: remember how hard it was to decide whether or not to play this year? are you glad you played?

his wise response: well, i wish i had made the other decision, not to play this year. but i know that if i’d made that decision, i’d always wonder if i should have played, and i would never know. now i know, so i guess i’m glad i made the decision i did.

i told him i was very proud of him for finishing the season, and that it’s obvious he already understands something that SO many adults don’t even understand: how important it is in life to follow through on a commitment we make.

for how timid my little guy is, i was so proud of his wisdom, and his willingness to try.

or, as the old dude single golfer who got stuck with us last weekend said to me on one of the many greens where my putt wasn’t long enough: approximately 100% of all short putts don’t go in the whole.