The Los Angeles Dodgers are having an epic season

They won games at such a torrid pace it was possible they would amass the all-time record for most wins in a season. Sports Illustrated put them on the cover on August 22 asking whether this year’s team might be the greatest of all time. Then the wheels came off the bus. As of the moment I’m writing these words, the Dodgers have lost 10 games in a row; swept in 3 straight series. They’ve lost 15 of their last 16 games. Interesting fact…. they became the first team in the history of Major League Baseball to win 15 of 16, and lose 15 of 16, in the same season. Yet they still have the best win-loss record in all of baseball. The Dodgers may win the World Series this year. They may hobble into the playoffs and go home after the first round. One of the aspects of baseball I love is just that… you never know what’s going to happen.

Baseball is a lot like life that way… in many ways

1. What we do individually matters – both for good and for the not-so-good.
2. What we do collectively matters
3. Sometimes life throws us a curveball and we strike out.
4. Sometimes life throws a heater right in our sweet spot and we knock it out of the park.
5. Life, like baseball, requires patience. Sometimes, a LOT of patience. Just ask Chicago Cubs fans.

I could go on. But I’ll let you come up with other metaphors. Here’s the main thing I’m thinking about this morning, Monday, September 11, the morning of the day the Dodgers begin a 3-game series in San Francisco with our arch-rivals, the Giants. Will the Dodgers bats come alive again? Will our pitchers regain their confidence? Will we sweep the Giants? Will we lose 2 out of 3? There’s no telling. We can’t predict what’s going to happen, any more than we can predict what’s going to happen to us each day when we wake up in the morning.

The only thing we have complete control over is our reaction to what happens

That control over our reaction is a tremendous amount of power for doing good in the world. I hope the Dodgers win it all this year. But I have no control over that. I do have control over me. You have control over you. Let’s hit one out of the park today, shall we? Go Dodgers. Go YOU!