LateNiteLights.

So...when I was a kid...I had no friends on my block.

Seriously. None. I was 8 years old...when I was outside playing I was with my mom. No one really knew me. No one I could just call to play with. No one coming by to invite me to play tag or anything.

So the day that this hit me..I told my parents. I remember telling them and slowly getting sadder and sadder till I was crying. Hysterically.

My dad opened up the Yellow Pages and found a baseball league.

"Fun In The Sun" League.

It was perfect. Little league baseball. Close to the house. My first time ever playing organized sports. At this point I had already played baseball, but only outside with my friends.

Naturally when I got to the first practice...I was shy. Nervous even. But I could catch. And throw. And hit. Almost naturally. I blended in quickly. I practiced hard with the team and with my dad...and even by myself. I worked out..I took it very seriously.

In one of my early games, I hit a double (in my kid mind it felt like a HR at Yankee Stadium). I ran around the bases with my hands up. When I finally got batted in my dad was waiting with the straight face of all straight faces.

Dad: Don't ever do that again!
Me: Do...what?
Dad: Run around the bases like that. There's no need to celebrate. Act like you've been there before!

Profound but very simple. Little did I know that this was the beginning of my humility. An 8 year old learning how to be humble through...baseball. From that point on , no matter what I did I didn't show off. People respect professionalism more than flash, and my team loved me. Deeply. I learned early on that people can see what you did ; no need to remind them.

I finally had friends. People I enjoyed being around. Kids I played..practiced..fought..and cried with. It was all very deep to me. I didnt care about winning or my stats. I played well and so did my team but it was about the companionship. I wanted to be good but that wasnt my motivation. I just wanted to be with my teammates.

So next summer, when it's time I get back to my baseball career....I find out terrible news.

My league folded.

Fun In The Sun...gone. My team...gone. My coach...teammates...done for.

So naturally my Dad asks , "You wanna play somewhere else?"

My answer? "No."

I didn't want to play for any other coach or team. I didn't care about baseball. I cared about my TEAM. Without them the sport would never be the same.

I never played organized baseball again. Sometimes I miss baseball. I think I could've been REALLY good had I stuck with it. But I just liked the fun of it and who I played with. My passion was...pure. Fun and my friends. If I wouldn't play with my friends what was the point? It wouldn't be fun. All of my drive to get better at baseball died with my league.

Do you remember that feeling? Just doing hobbies/actions because they were fun? Not because you wanted to be a superstar..but just for the love?

If you haven't noticed, adults don't get to express that very often. Our imagination dies as lie gets more "real". Our motivation behind what we do is never a simple "because I like to do it". It becomes "the pay is good" "people think its cool" "its nice on my resume".

At what point do we "forget" to have fun?

It's up to you. Think back to when it was about the love...not the accomplishment..just the "journey".

Never let the rat race of life steal your fun. Remember that your goal early on was just to enjoy yourself. If you don't enjoy what you're doing...don't be afraid to do something drastic.

I'll never forget again.