I miss you. I miss the passion you brought me, the heightened levels of adrenaline in the middle of the game, and the abundance of memories I share with teammates from each different team I was blessed to be apart of.

I recently was watching my cousin's volleyball game and realized just how much I have been lacking that drive you instilled in me. The commitment to the sport, the commitment to my team, and the commitment to myself to always do better than the last time. It's true that there was also a time commitment that went along with it, but looking back, I wouldn't have spent those 13 years of my life any other way. The countless practices, games, and tournaments were some of the greatest times of my life, mainly because you were such a huge part of my life.

Each summer, I was on the road every single weekend in a new tournament, surrounded by new opponents with their sweaty eye-black dripping down their cheeks. Each game and each new tournament was an opportunity to showcase the talent that was 13 hard years in the making.

As much as I hated the repetition of drills, the practices that felt as though they would never end, and the games that just didn't end the way we wanted them too, I would give anything to do it all again. I would give anything to feel the rush that comes with driving in that last run, the momentum of the wind-guiding my sprint around the bases, and the ever so glorified touch of my foot on home plate.

I'll be the first to say it, I took you for granted--I took everything for granted. Back then, I didn't realize that one day I wouldn't be a part of a team anymore. I didn't realize that everyone would head off in their own directions, pursuing their dreams beyond the bases.

But looking back on it now, I wouldn't trade the sock tan-lines that will forever be etched into my skin, the scars from sliding incidences around the bases, or even the endless practices and team pep-talks that always felt much too long. A set of bases will never just be a set of bases, and I am forever grateful for that experience.