Avoiding the Finger

Day 68 (April 12, 2019)

Hey Jesus,

            So, Dane has this story he LOVES to tell me at baseball games. It goes a little something like this: His dad taught him, when he was young, that when he was around people—e.g., in the grocery store—it was not polite to yell and rough house around them, BUT when he was at a baseball game, he could yell all he wanted. It is his go to story, Lord, and it makes me chuckle the moment I sense it coming. Well, he told it again tonight, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. It was a great night, Lord. Dane and I got to enjoy our first baseball game of the season, and even though it was not our boys (GO PADRES!), we had a blast sitting in the first row of the 200 level. (Baseball is just in our blood, Lord—we are American after all.)

            Sometimes I feel like there really isn’t anything better than ploppin’ your booty down into one of those folding seats—an ice-cold soda in one hand and a perfectly grilled hot dog in the other—and just soaking in the hum of the crowd. Everyday cares just seem to have a way of fading to the background, unable to compete with the electric atmosphere of the ballpark. It is often a spirited mix of kids taunting the player at home plate with the phrase “Hey, batta batta!” and adults heckling the umps with (how should I word this, Lord??) more colorful jeers. All very electrifying, yet peaceful in their familiarity. Well, peaceful that is until you have a super young kiddo behind you who can’t seem to keep the foam finger, they are wielding in their tiny hands, from colliding with your head about 15 times. (Haha, I think I missed the part where foam battering rams were allowed at baseball games.) The parents were, thankfully, not the oblivious type, and they did try to contain the little dude. But, I will say, that it was nice that Dane and I were seated front row so I could lean forward against the railing and avoid any extra blows.

            To be honest, Lord, the game in its entirety was kind of a dud. The Blue Jays did not win, but Dane did inform me that we did get to witness something that doesn’t happen super often. Two homerun balls were hit into right field, at 500 level, (so up three levels and to the left of us if you are facing home plate) by two different hitters. The baseballs were hit the same exact distance and hit a foot apart—the first struck an empty seat and the second hit the empty seat right next to it. Pretty crazy, Lord. (What a day people would have had if only they had chosen those two seats!) But the balls ended up bouncing down to the lower levels and that made a bunch of scrambling fans ecstatically happy. I wouldn’t mind catching a homerun ball one day and, if I am being really honest, I probably would not be one of those fans that hands the ball off to the kid seated right next to them. (Like, sorry kid. I have put in my time, and now it is your turn to put in the time.)

            It was cool to see something pretty rare, Lord, but I was just happy to be hangin’ out with my main squeeze. We had a row mostly to ourselves. Such a huge surprise! (I’m thinking I have you, Lord, to thank for that.) Especially because with a brain as overactive as mine—one that prefers to avoid places filled to brimming with people (makes you wonder how hanging out in a crowded stadium fits into my world haha)—the non-crowded row gave me the space to wind down and thoroughly take in the sights and sounds of the ballpark which I do love. It was a simple gift that, you must already know Lord, limited the mental distractions I would later be needing to work out and provided the spacious means for an evening of peace. (Well, just as long as I was leaning forward, in my seat, away from a foam finger wielding youngin’.) Haha, maybe “the kid” could be seated elsewhere next time huh, Lord? Doesn’t hurt to ask, right?

Always,

Your Daughter Kaitlan

P.S. Lord, can you help those with overactive brains, just like mine, find a pastime that has an atmosphere that is both peaceful through its familiarity, yet electric through its immersive quality? Whether we enjoy sporting events, musical performances, theatrical plays, really anything with lots of people around, can you please give each one of us, dealing with anxious minds, the needed space around us to wind our minds down, so that we may more easily soak in the enjoyable sights and sounds of the venue around us? And, just maybe, you could also keep any energetic kiddos from kicking our seats or whacking us in the heads with fan memorabilia, so we can stay in our more peaceful mindset for more than just a moment!? Thank you, Jesus.

Thank you for reading! If you are new, this is a chronological blog series. It is best read in order. CLICK HERE for the intro.