April 3, 2025: The Backyard Lessons

He coached us almost every afternoon.

Mr. Sessoms, my next-door neighbor’s grandfather, was passionate about baseball. More than just a casual fan, he once played for the minor league Yankees alongside Joe DiMaggio.

After school, we’d rush to the backyard. There, Mr. Sessoms stood with his glove on, cap tilted, ready to instruct.

He taught us how to throw sidearm. How to field grounders without flinching. And most importantly — how to hit. His advice? “Wait for the right pitch. Don’t swing at them all.”

I didn’t realize at the time he was teaching more than baseball. Trying to hit everything is for batting cages and burnout.

Today, I heard an interesting piece of business wisdom. Someone I admire said, “I have yet to meet a high-functioning leader who answered every email, responded to every text, got back to everybody, and showed up at everything.”

Huh. Those words transported me to those dusty afternoons, bat in hand.

Don’t swing at them all.