It's ok to talk about the hard stuff
“Stop complaining.”
“Oh yeah, you have a really tough life.”
“Stop being so dramatic.”
These are just a few of the responses we hear when we choose to open up about the difficulties of this lifestyle. I don’t know why some people are quick to jump to conclusions about our life, I assume it has to do with stereotypes and a need to compare.
But that doesn’t mean we should sit down and shut up.
I believe it’s important to continue to tell the truth—our lived-out truth, our real life experiences—whether people understand it or not. Whether people believe it or not. If for no other reason than to become more deeply connected with one another.
After our last blog post, many of you told me that friends, and even family, have said some of these things. It grieves me to know that there are many of you who don’t have anyone around that feels safe enough to be real with.
Simply put, baseball life can be equally as hard as it is wonderful. You need someone in your life who truly gets that.
Many of you have admitted that you don’t want to “complain” because surely other people have it harder than you. Yes, of course, some people do...but that doesn’t mean that your pain isn’t valid. It doesn’t mean that your hardships don’t deserve care and respect and love. It doesn’t mean that you aren’t allowed to talk about them.
Someone else’s pain and hardship doesn’t negate or lessen yours. We are a community of women who support women in all walks of life and in all the ups and all the downs that life throws their way. We hope that anyone who reads our stories will join us in this.
Just this morning, my husband called to tell me his grandfather passed away. I’m in Texas. He’s in California. We can’t hug each other for another nine days. I’m losing count of how many funerals we’ve been to alone.
But should I not even mention this because it’s not as bad as _______?
I said it on Instagram stories the other day, and I’ll say it again here. You have the freedom to say:
“This sucks.”
“Sometimes this life is hard.”
“I’m having a lot of trouble adjusting.”
“I feel alone.”
“I’m tired.”
“I miss my man.”
You have the freedom to do that here.
Here are three things I want to leave you with:
Don’t minimize your pain by comparing it to someone else’s (and vice versa).
Don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t allowed to talk about hard things.
Buddy up - find someone in this community who gets it, someone you can be completely candid with about baseball life. Don’t know anyone? Reach out on social media. Slide into her DMs (did I say that right? 👵🏻)
Whatever you do, don't try to live this baseball life alone, and don't feel bad about feeling bad. It's okay to talk about the hard stuff. It’s okay to speak your truth.
We're here for you.
**written in collaboration Chancelee Taylor**
