“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.”
–Maya Angelou
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4 thoughts on “On baseball and service”
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To me, this quote speaks to the idea of taking the opportunity to better someone else, rather than yourself. This might be an individual, an organization, or a community. You can’t fully exceed in life by just taking steps forward for personal gain. Every once in while, you need to look behind you and lend someone a helping hand. You may find out that this selfless action is what advances you unexpected ways.
As a service leader, you have to give and take. You have to throw the ball of your time and effort, but you must always be open to catching the ball of constructive criticism. You have to throw the ball to your usual audience (club members and participants) and also throw the ball to people who you don’t normally target, but who may prove to be an asset to your org. Always catch what’s thrown at you before you decide to keep or pass it away.
I have been on the receiving end of so many experiences thanks to the generous efforts of my community. I find it only fair that I return the favor by giving back by paying it forward. The best way for me to pay it forward is to invest my time in meaningful service.
I believe that this quote, obviously, deals with accepting anything and everything from anyone is not the way to go about things. However, some organizations, communities, and people need to use two catchers mitts in order to get back on their feet. Once they get back on their feet, they give their glove to someone else in tough times so that they can have two gloves. This can then be repeated several times.