My mind is willing but my Body is "out of shape"

I love the fact that the LDS church offers sports for the Young Women. Well it's softball season and the Relief Society was invited to play on the same team as the Young Women. Last night our Ward Young Women and Relief Society played Softball, so my daughter and I played with them. She had just finished playing soccer and was very tired and I'd just finished taxi-ing her brothers from gynmastics to their respective soccer games. My body wasn't excited to play, but my mind was excited to play even though I really haven't played much since I was in YW. It's like I knew what to do but was uncertain if my body could do it anymore.

I've enjoyed watching our daughter learn to play and do well the last few years however. When she was part way through her season this year, we were talking and she was surprised to know I knew how to and had played softball. I was amazed she didn't know because to me, although I wasn't the best player on our team, I was one of the better ones and loved playing! Growing up with brothers, I played ALL sports with them including boxing and wrestling which they'd teach me when they babysat me :)

First inning she played 3rd and I was right behind her in the outfield. She batted just before me. When up at bat, she was walked and I doubled the first time off a shorter hit. As I started to run to 1st my body was yelling "what are you doing to me" as my mind was yelling "come on, faster or you're going to get out" and I would have except the 1st baseman didn't catch it, so I rounded the corner to 2nd. I then got to 3rd and kept going home. It surprised everyone including my body that I kept going, but like I said, my mind knew what to do and it was in charge. I guess that competitive spirit just stepped right up in me :) As I ran, it felt like I was running ahead of all of the rest of me that I've accumulated over the years and that the rest of me lagging behind was being pulled along unwillingly. It felt like I was running in place instead of forward, but both my daughter and I scored.

I played catcher the 2nd inning and after jumping up and down several times to retrieve the pitched ball and throw it back to the pitcher, I said out loud "my body isn't used to this anymore, but it was when I used to play softball", a Young Women on the other team batting said, "Yeah that's what I'll be saying in a few years." Our daughter singled and then I singled the second time at bat with bases loaded. Two runners scored and she got to 3rd. This same YW who'd heard my comment earlier was playing 2nd when I later slid in to 2nd to avoid getting out, she excitedly yelled to everyone who could hear, "She slid in to 2nd! She slid into 2nd!! I like her!" My mind knew what to do and my body did it surprisingly. My daughter missed seeing me slide, but could hear this girl's comments. Next batter got me to 3rd but I never made it back to home plate that time before the 3rd out and then our game was called because of thunder and lightning after the second inning. (We don't take any chances because a young girl was hit by lightning while she was batting 2 seasons ago during the youth league and barely survived it. )

By the time we got home my body was already stiffening up and this morning I'm even stiffer as I arise to start preparing for company later tonight, but my mind can hardly wait for next Thursday!