Lubar practicing karate, years ago.

actually good at karate. I eventually earned a black belt and even taught classes to others.

It turned out that I’d learned more than I realized. One day, when I was in college, I was with some friends at a local softball field. Someone had brought a bat and ball. Just for fun, I tossed the ball in the air and took a swing.

The ball went right over the fence.

After I bent down and picked up my jaw from where it had dropped on the ground, I realized what had happened. All of the karate practice had helped teach me to focus my power. We had a fun time while I hit flies into the outfield for everyone to catch.

Imagine that. Me—hitting balls far into the outfield. If someone had told me back in elementary school that I could put one over the fence with ease, I would have laughed.

So I grew up, discovered I was a lot better with words than with bats, became a writer, and became a father. Hoping to give my daughter a better start than I had,