#GraciasMiggy

I have never been athletic, and I don’t have much sports knowledge, but I come from a family that loves baseball.  My parents taught my siblings and me to play catch as our first game, cry during baseball movies, and love the Detroit Tigers. 

Legendary Tiger Miguel “Miggy” Cabrera retired from an amazing 21+ year career in Major League Baseball this past weekend.  His athletic accomplishments are astounding (too numerous to list in this article, but you can read more about him here), but it’s Cabrera’s positive attitude, sportsmanship, and overall love for the game that resonates with so many Detroiters.  

My family and I attended Miggy’s final game on Sunday (you can see me as part of the number 24 above home plate on the left).  While the Tigers finished the season in second place in the American League, they were not contenders for the playoffs.  Despite this, a sold-out crowd was at Comerica Park on Sunday afternoon to honor and celebrate one man with unparalleled enthusiasm for Tiger baseball and the city of Detroit.  

Why am I writing about a baseball player in a blog for PA and NP practice?

It’s because I was struck by something Cabrera said during a 2013 interview that I read over the weekend:

“If you do something every day a little,

the end is going to be big.”

This statement came after a reporter interviewed Cabrera about how the Tigers would recover and regroup after their disappointing loss in the 2012 World Series.

  “If you do something every day a little,

the end is going to be big.”

Miggy recalled some advice given to him by his coaches as a young player:

“Don’t worry about personal numbers.”

“Don’t try to do everything in one day.” 

“Do something every day a little bit, to get better.”

These words have been echoing in my head these last few days.  With my family, patients, staff, and myself: If I do something a little every day, “the end is going to be big.”  

I can listen just a little bit better.

I can be just a little more patient.

I can be just a little more present.

I can be just a little more empathetic.

I can be just a little less critical of personal and professional imperfections.   

I don’t have to accomplish this all at once – just a little but each day.  Over time, good things will come.  I won’t have a crowd of thousands cheering to wish me well upon my retirement, but maybe I will have been just a little better of a parent, spouse, family member, and clinician.  

I believe big things can happen if I try to do just a little better every day.    

Gracias, Miggy.

Nikki Rataj Casady, DMSc, PA-C

email@appcolleague.org