If you are from Wisconsin, it’s a very fun time to be a Brewers fan. I’ve been a lifetime fan, and we’ve run the gamut of emotions here.
I have been using this baseball season as a practice in staying present to the moment. Every game I am just trying to appreciate the actual moment I am in.
“Wow, that was a good pitch.”
“I can’t believe that just happened.”
“This is so much fun!”
I’m a bit of a “fear of the future” junkie – that means I tend to worry about possible future scenarios, many of which never actually happen. In the baseball sense, that means worrying about what might happen, and completely missing the magic of the moment right then. And then, honestly, as a Brewers fan, it’s the hope that kills ya. If you know, you know.
This year, I have been using baseball as an active experiment to stay in the moment. I even practiced this over the last two years of Brewers’ radio announcer, Bob Uecker’s life. I was acutely aware that every time I heard Ueck on the broadcast, I never knew when it might be my last time enjoying his company. I truly savored it, every time. I even silently thanked him, every time. In case I didn’t get another shot. And when Ueck passed away and left a gaping hole in the hearts of Milwaukee fans, I felt whole knowing I really maximized the present tense.
Coincidentally, I began the present tense practice before I even learned it was one of Brewers Manager Pat Murphy’s mantras in the clubhouse. He has spent all season working to train the team’s stamina to stay relentlessly in the moment. Every pitch, every out, every win.
I’ve used other moments in my life to train my brain to remain neutral, stay present, and to remain open to what actually comes next (instead of what I decided should come next). I didn’t know the gender of either of my babies until they were born (one of life’s last great surprises), and I trained my mind to not guess, assume or even hope in any which way other than healthy, happy baby. The point is, staying present tense is a skill and a choice. Every time I commit to practicing it, I am pleasantly surprised at the outcome.
As of this writing, the Milwaukee Brewers are one win away from making the World Series. And as hard as it is to keep my fingers out of the “what if” pie, I am having a blast enjoying watching THIS team, in THIS moment, and letting all of it wash over me in present tense.
Present Tense, by Pearl Jam
Lyrics by Vedder/McCready
Do you see the way that tree bends?
Does it inspire?
Leaning out to catch the sun’s rays
A lesson to be applied
Are you getting something out of this all-encompassing trip?
You can spend your time alone, re-digesting past regrets, oh
Or you can come to terms and realize
You’re the only one who can’t forgive yourself, oh
Makes much more sense, to live in the present tense
Have you ideas on how this life ends?
Checked your hands and studied the lines
Have you the belief that the road ahead, ascends off into the light?
Seems that needlessly it’s getting harder
To find an approach and a way to live
Are we getting something out of this all-encompassing trip?
You can spend your time alone re-digesting past regrets, oh
Or you can come to terms and realize
You’re the only one who cannot forgive yourself, oh
Makes much more sense, to live in the present tense
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