“It’s okay to feel many
things at once,
including uncertainty.”
The Gottman Institute

I’ve been doing a bit of research on the life expectancy of the average American male. There’s good news and not-so-good news. According to World Bank, American men are expected to live for 78.39 years. I consider this to be not-so-good news, since I’m 71 now. If, however, we consider such factors as maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, and having healthy blood pressure, a man should reach the age of 90. Of course, individual life spans will differ based on genetics and other unique life factors.

It’s common, I would think, for people to be more aware of life expectancy issues as we get older. I had no interest in such mundane things when I was in my 20’s. Today, however, as I consider the baseball game of life, I recognize that I’m currently in the top of the eighth inning.

So what does this mean? Well,… for starters, there’s still plenty of ball to be played. Nothing is less important in life than the score after seven innings. Much can change before the final out. The outcome of an entire game is often determined by what happens in the last two innings. In baseball, the manager has the responsibility to orchestrate a successful outcome. In life, that responsibility rests on our shoulders, and no one else’s. 

This is the mystery. Do we make changes to effect a preferred outcome or do we maintain the status quo and allow the game to play out as it will? This is a challenging question. I’ve watched baseball games in which everything was going well before the manager made a pitching change. The starting pitcher exited the game and was powerless as his team squandered a three-run lead and lost the game.

I’ve also attended games in which things were not going well at all, but a strategic move by the manager resulted in an exciting come-from-behind victory.

One of the unique characteristics of San Francisco is the fog. I don’t know who deserves the credit for the photo above (I did not take this shot), but it clearly illustrates the challenges faced by many people. A person driving north on the Golden Gate Bridge, enjoying the breathtaking view of San Francisco Bay, might be confronted with a thick layer of fog which blinds them to what’s up ahead, and yet they drive. A person driving south may have been carefully navigating their way through the dense fog for many miles, only to see it dissipate in a moment and offer a sparkling clear view of what’s up ahead. 

In so many ways, life really is a game, the outcome of which is not determined until the final out. As long as the game is being played, possibilities exist to effect the most ideal outcome. The challenge is to make the right decisions at the right time.