Baseball Stress Is Real But Worth It :: Will Eastbank Go to Waco?!?
Oh the baseball stress is REAL, y’all.
I’m writing this two hours before a baseball game of opportunity … or the game of elimination. I can’t be the only mom whose anxiety and stress level goes through the roof while watching their child play in a high stakes game?!
My reasons for loving Eastbank Little League still remain the same … Eastbank provides 
our boys with laid back but awesome baseball, but that doesn’t mean mommy and daddy are always laid back. Lord have mercy on my soul right now because I’m anything but laid back!
Since the end of our son’s game Friday night (that we unfortunately lost), I’ve basically been a ball of nerves acting like I’m functioning without worry. We never plan to lose, but we weren’t ready for that loss! Is our summer of baseball about to be over? Will our boys answer back and remember they are amazing? I don’t know! And God, I like to know! Dropping the first game was not in the plan. That said, it’s not in the plan for any group of boys playing the sport they love and dreaming of Waco and Williamsport.
This specific summer of baseball is so much different than last. It’s a milestone in baseball that only happens once. We are literally playing in the summer that our sons have anticipated since the days they started tee ball. We are dreaming of Waco and Williamsport. Is it just going to be a dream or will it be a reality? As parents we pray that all of our babies’ dreams become a reality. Just ask the moms who had sons that played on the 2019 Eastbank team that ultimately won it all! But what if they don’t? What if we don’t make it through state? What if this is the proverbial end of the road for the summer that we have so long anticipated?
On the one hand, if the boys don’t make it through state and get the opportunity to travel to Waco, playing for the Eastbank team will still be another amazing baseball memory to write down in the books. We will count the blessings and opportunities given to our boys thus far and learn from them. We will grow as a family. And the players will grow into even better players that will go on to do amazing things on and off the fields. So win or lose, you may have to pick me up off the ground.
Whatever the outcome of the next game (or games), nothing really changes for our Eastbank team. The coaches are still great coaches, the players are still great players and the umpires stink (totally joking on that one!). After a win or a loss, life will go on and there will be a new opportunity to chase for everyone. The good news in sports is that there are always new dreams and bigger opportunities to chase. This is just a moment in time, and it is fleeting like everything else about childhood. Part of the nerves are probably due to how long we have looked forward to this exact experience. We are living out the summer of baseball we have imagined for so very long. But will it go the way we hope?
After these hot summers of baseball runs, parents will return to their jobs that they somehow haven’t lost after all these days off, and the boys will return to their chosen schools and 
pursue dreams of competing at the highest level in high school sports. The sun will always rise! Whether we make it to the next step in this Little League journey or not, the world will keep turning.
If you choose to see every day as a fresh start, there will be always be another opportunity. Today is a new day, and there is still baseball left to play. Having to win is a lot of pressure, and my mom nerves aren’t sure they can handle it!
So cheers to life with or without baseball! My underlying stress about how the boys do is only because I want my child to have everything he dreams of. I am sure the moms of the World Champion 2019 team felt the same way while they enjoyed their wild journey to Waco and Williamsport. Stress and worry is an inevitable part of having children in sports chasing dreams.
So basically I’m always going to stress, and I am always going to be a ball of nerves, but it’s all for the right reasons. We all want to see our children accomplish their goals and dreams. The stress is a GOOD thing. It just means we care.
Now, cheer for us as we try to get to Waco … where the nerves (and opportunity) will start again if we pull it off!
Natalie Johnson
Natalie is a mother of 2 boys. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing with a minor in Supply & Logistics all while working for Smoothie King Franchises, Inc., where she was a part of helping the company grow over 600 US locations. Her naturally outgoing and hard-working persona has helped turn her passion for real estate into a success. She knows how important it is to not only find someone’s dream home, but to also provide advice and support throughout the home buying and selling process. As her boys have gotten more involved, her nights and weekends have become filled with practices and games so she decided to take on a position with Authentic Title as their Marketing Representative. Natalie loves her role with Authentic Title as she is passionate about real estate and also being present for her family; this role allows her to do both!
