Dotty: “It just got too hard.”
Jimmy: “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.”

“A League of Their Own” 

A few weeks ago I was channel surfing aimlessly when a familiar movie caught my eye: A League of Their Own. I’ve seen the movie (or at least excerpts) dozens of times. But for some reason, I felt compelled to watch.

I clicked the channel and waited for the movie to be freed from cable box purgatory, the annoying delay between channel selection and screen appearance. It proved to be serendipity as I watched one of the film’s most poignant moments unfold.  Jimmy Dugan was convincing his star player, Dotty Hinson, to stay with the team. Jimmy could accept losing Dotty as a love interest, but not as a ballplayer. Baseball was more than a game to both of them. It was part of them, and the struggle is what made it great.

I didn’t know it at the time, but I really needed to hear that. I was mindlessly watching T.V. because I was spent- beyond tired. Tired is not the appropriate word. It’s hard to describe, but I know you have felt this way. You’re exhausted physically and mentally. You can’t process another thought or make one more decision, and in the back of your mind, you wonder why you put yourself through this.

But in the midst of exhaustion, you find clarity. If you are genuinely doing something worthwhile, something of significance, then the laws of nature dictate it can’t be easy. A sense of joy and accomplishment lie on the other side of the struggle.

If you are reading this after a day of setbacks, know that it isn’t all for naught. We learn and grow the most not when times are good, but when they are tough. Remember, it’s supposed to be hard. The hard is what makes it great.