I’m sure you can guess what this entry is about judging by the title. We all know I take lots of pride in ball hawking, but why? What drives me to keep going? Let me explain, and it’s not an easy answer to take in.

I’ll be honest, I’m a pretty odd kid. Lots of people think I’m “weird” and they’re 100% right, I’m sure I make that very well known. Because of that, I truly struggle making friends. I’m not in a relationship, and I only have maybe 2 handfuls of really good and true friends (you know who you are if you’re reading this). And even then, I don’t spend as much time with them as I’d like. But what does any of that have to do with ball hawking?

Because of everything I just listed, life gets pretty rough at times, especially during the fall and winter. As soon as the spring and summer come around, however, that all changes. Sure, we all have our things that make us happy, but ball hawking does so much more than that for me. It allows me to slip away from the real world we live in. It gives me a sense of inclusion and belonging that I wouldn’t have without it. It’s something that I look forward to and am good at. Stuff as simple as catching a game home run makes my entire summer. Above all else, it’s something that I thoroughly enjoy and care about. It’s become a part of me, and that alone makes me motivated to keep going with it.

Lots of people put me down for it and avoid me because of it. But y’know what, I don’t let that bother me. I may be single, and I may not have as many close friends as I might want, but that’s okay. As long as I have ball hawking, that’s enough for me.