So, I’ve been meaning to share this little “project” – well, more like a habit I slipped into – concerning Adley Rutschman and Alli Schwarm. Not something I planned, you know, it just sort of happened.
It kicked off like it does for most folks, I guess. Adley’s a big deal in baseball, hard to ignore. So, I was keeping up, watching games, checking scores. Just basic fan stuff, nothing obsessive. Or so I thought.
Then, you start seeing Alli Schwarm more. In the background, then more in the foreground. Pictures at events, little snippets on social media. And that’s when my “practice” kinda took a turn. I wasn’t just following Adley’s athletic career anymore. I found myself… well, observing them. As a unit. As this public couple.
How My “Observation Practice” Took Shape
It wasn’t like I was taking notes with a clipboard, mind you. But I definitely started to pay more attention to the whole dynamic. How they were portrayed, the comments people would leave, the whole shebang. It was a weird kind of passive research project I’d assigned myself without realizing it.
- I’d notice how certain photos or stories would blow up.
- I’d scroll through comments, seeing the public’s take.
- I even caught myself looking for “updates” on them, which, looking back, is a bit daft.
And then it sort of clicked one afternoon. I was idly scrolling, looking at something about them, and I thought, “Man, I’m spending a fair bit of headspace on this.” This “practice” of mine, watching their story unfold, was taking up actual time and mental energy. They seem great, don’t get me wrong, genuinely. But my level of passive involvement? It started to feel a bit… off. For me.
It reminded me of this phase I went through a few years back, trying to “master” the art of making the perfect sourdough bread. I mean, I was all in. Feeding starters, watching YouTube videos for hours, meticulously measuring everything. My kitchen looked like a science lab. And the bread? It was… bread. Okay, sometimes it was pretty good. But the sheer amount of time I poured into it! I could’ve learned a new language, or fixed that leaky faucet that was annoying me for months.
That’s what this Adley and Alli observation “practice” felt like in the end. A detour. An interesting one, for sure, because celebrity and public image are fascinating. But it made me really think about where my focus goes. It’s so easy to get drawn into other people’s narratives, especially when they’re presented so nicely. This whole thing was a good, if slightly roundabout, reminder to be more deliberate about what I’m “practicing” day to day in my own life. They’re living theirs; I need to make sure I’m fully tuned into mine. Simple lesson, but one I apparently needed to learn by watching a baseball star and his partner for a while.
