Ed Bauso
Mod 8

Have you ever done something that taught you a valuable lesson? Most people learn when they make a mistake, tragic or funny. My mistake was somewhat dangerous, but funny in the long run. I ran into a clothesline while playing catch with my cousin. From doing this, I learned to be more aware of my surroundings.

It was a bright summer day. My cousin, Andy, and I went out in my grandmother’s backyard to play catch. This was something we would always do in the summer. Our objective was to make plays on bad throws and rate them. As we played, we made many great and creative plays. I acted as a first baseman when Andy kicked the ball to me. It was one of the highest rated plays of the day, but there was one moment that topped them all. His throw was to the right. I immediately hustled to it. It landed in my glove and I squeezed the glove. After that, everything went black. I’m not sure how long I was out. All I heard was my cousin yelling, “Dude, you moron! You ran into the clothesline!” I looked in my glove and the ball was still there. I was hit just below the eye. There was bruise for the next few days. It showed that I was very lucky to not have been hit in the eye and how serious it could’ve been. Now, my cousin and I think back and just laugh. In the long run, though, all that seems to matter is that I caught the ball.

From this experience, I have doubled my efforts to be more aware of my surroundings. Whenever I go out onto the field in baseball, I tend to look around and see where I am exactly located. I look for possible areas in which I may trip, where the fence is, and where teammates are in the field. Also when I play the guitar, I make sure there is enough room for me to move freely. An accident with a guitar, bass, or any instrument doesn’t help someone financially. The same thing goes for if I am golfing. I always make sure my bag is far enough away from me so that I don’t hit it on my backswing. Another activity I enjoy is skiing, which calls for awareness at any given time, from going down a slope to going up stairs in the lodge in ski boots. I ran into another skier once who cut back at an unexpected time. I went tumbling down the slope and had to walk back up to get my skis that fell off. Thankfully, the person I ran into was very understanding and forgiving. Although these things tend to be what a lot of people do, being even more aware definitely will decrease the chance of an accident occurring.

There may still be a few mistakes that I make while I am rushing or not paying attention. That’s just human nature. After running into a clothesline, I have become more cautious, for the most part. You may never know when awareness will be extremely needed in sticky situations.