I’m not very sporty. You probably wouldn’t want me on your baseball team, unless it was to keep score or serve water.

I can’t catch or throw a ball, really. Certainly not dependably.

When I do catch something thrown at me, I’m flabbergasted, almost thrilled to know it’s possible.

To catch a ball is to hold the ball. To feel it.

I’ve noticed I can catch a tune the same way. Whenever I go shopping at the local grocery store, I leave the store with a tune in my head.

Whatever the store’s music selection, or whatever the volume is, their songs get caught in my mind. Sometimes, I don’t like the songs and it takes a while to get them to stop re-playing in my mind.

But, it shows me that I catch sounds, mentally. I catch perceptions and sensations through mind.

So, when I’m with someone who has negative thoughts, I challenge myself NOT to catch those thoughts.

I’ve taken it a step further and when I’m with someone who has a contagious illness, I challenge myself NOT to catch their thoughts on the illness.

I don’t hug sick people and I wash my hands after shaking hands with someone who maybe sick, but I’m discovering that if my mind is thinking about spirituality, I don’t so much catch the thoughts of sickness.

I’ve even wondered, Why don’t I catch good thoughts? Healthy thoughts? Because I can.

Instead of fearing for what my body can or can’t catch, I look at what my mind is catching. Thoughts of God, good, at contagious. They keep me safe.

Psalm 91: 9-11