Memories of Human Connection and the Amnesia of Stats, Data, and Performance

If I really think about it, I can remember about five or six specific pitches from my entire baseball career. This wasn’t a hobby for me, either. This was my entire life and my livelihood depended on my attention to pitches. When it’s all said and done, the amount of baseball situation specific memories I have today are virtually none. 

That said, I have countless (no exaggeration) memories of the “in between moments.” My teammates, the travel, the bus ride, and the connecting moments are some of my richest memories. In fact, to this day we can quote conversations word for word with precision all these years later. 

Veteran players and coaches used to warn us about this amnesia, too. “You’re not going to remember the stats and the wins and losses,” they’d say. You’re going to remember each other.”

They advised us to cherish it. 

And, fair warning, because fitness is just as obsessive and outcome oriented and stat driven. Nonetheless, you won’t remember the lifts you made or the ones you missed. You’ll remember the laughs and the banter and the folks you did it with. 

Don’t miss the point as you approach the barbell.