A Reminder in Musings

I needed a day like today. I needed to be reminded just how important I am to the people in my life. My sister called this afternoon and asked if I would meet her and Ty at school. He’s struggling with AAU basketball - this first weekend’s tournament was a joke, from what I’ve been told. Ty is a great kid- so coachable and so THIRSTY to learn the game. He has yet to have a quality coach in either baseball or basketball, and it is very frustrating for him. For all of us. I spent an hour and a half with him, shooting baskets and throwing the baseball around. Talking to him and teaching him. Not only skills, but more importantly, the proper mindset. Reinforcing the values of teamwork and playing the game the right way, even in the midst of the street-ball run and gun bullshit he’s apparently found himself caught up in. It’s so rewarding and enriching for me- to know what an impact I have on both he and Shey. I’m not just an Uncle- I’m someone they really look to for support and advice. I needed to be reminded of that.
I also wrote the latest Foundation later for my father to submit to the FFCF board- a chance for me to exercise some of my writing skills and do something useful. I’m very much a proponent of community non-profits and people coming together to improve the quality of life in their respective neighborhoods, and I’m glad I can lend my particular skill-set to help promote the Foundation’s mission.
Throw in chatting with Aunt Sue as she makes the switch from Hulu to Sling, and making sure she is still able to see the Yankees on her MLB.TV package, as well as texting Shey about her fundraising fun run for National Junior Honor Society, and all of it makes for a nice, fulfilling day.
Sometimes I forget what an integral part of other people’s lives I am- I think anyone with depression goes thru the same thing as me. The negative voice in my head often times drowns out any message other than the continual pummeling of my self-worth and causes me to doubt myself and wallow in my loneliness and emotional pain. A day like today is a check on all of that, as I am reminded that the voice is only that- a voice. It’s not reality. It’s the product of a fucked-up, chemically imbalanced brain- it’s not the truth. I need more days like today.