Jogging, running and dashing like a triathlon, collecting balls after practice like a ball boy and getting the field ready for practice like a ground keeper: those were only I, a freshman in the Japanese middle school, could do in baseball club practice every day. There were no moments to grip a bat or to throw the balls for me. Although it was well-known that the first year students in Japanese middle school would not be able to play baseball as sports, the baseball like torture was extremely arduous for my short-thin body. My body trembled as if it is crying and screaming for help – the more practices, the more pain. I smelled of blood from my legs because of sliding practices. I could not even taste my saliva during those torture-like practices. At the same time, I started to feel lazy and decided to be negligence and apathetic about the baseball practices.

“Hey, be on time for practice, or get out of here!” An elder student, a senior of the middle school, stared and yelled at me like thunder in storm. “Shoot, so let me pitch the ball, let me swing the bat, let me play baseball!” I muttered to myself. Since I was often late for the practice on purpose due to my laziness, the elder student was annoyed at me. Officially, I just responded, “Yes, I am sorry, I’ll be on time.” And then, I turned around and started to run as always. Even though I attended practices, my mind was somewhere else. Soon after, my name was put on substitute members list for the first tournament for freshmen. “Oh, fine, I’m gonna go to Thailand soon.”

A few years later, in Thailand, I now realize that how precious those torture-like practices were. I do not regret that I became a substitute, but I do regret my decision not to work hard on the practices. I now actually miss those torture-like days. However, they will never come to me even if I want to. That is what we can experience only in students time. The day, the time and the moment that I am having right now will never come again for the future, so do my baseball torture-like practices. Ever afterwards, I have learned that I should spend time day by day valuably, so will I. Time is costly.