Day 4: "Here, let me help you with that"

Today, I am thankful to the scrawny blond freshman pitcher on the baseball team where I intern. I do not know his name, I don’t know his jersey number, but I know that my opinion of him and his teammates rose significantly today.

Today was a long day. 10 hours of work to be exact. Three baseball games and two basketball games, one after another. I was riding the struggle bus hard too. I filled up a 10 gallon cooler only to discover, as water was shooting all over the whirlpool room, someone had removed the spout. I had to spend a ridiculous amount of time working with an athlete who then preceded yell at me for no reason. And then, to top it all off, as I was lifting a 10 gallon cooler filled to the brink with water to take down to the dugout, I realized a little too late the lid wasn't tight and spilled it all down the front of myself.

Yeah it was one of those days.

But then something happened. Two baseball boys ran over and said “here, let me help you with that.” I naturally said that it was okay and they didn't need to, but they grabbed the coolers anyway, waving away my thanks.

They had absolutely no obligation to help me out. It isn't their job; they were getting ready for a game and they barely even know me.

But they saw me struggling, and instantly offered a helping hand instead of just laughing at the intern. They stopped warming up and ran over immediately. Not because they were told to, just because they were kind.

They turned my day around and reminded me again why I love my job, even on the bad days.

Because even on the bad days, you have the athletes that say thank you. Or help you out. Or put their faith in you.

And ask any athletic trainer, we remember the good ones.

It was such a little thing, and because of that I am even more thankful.

Karma points to you, freshman baseball boy; you’re one of the good ones.