“Opening day. All you have to do is say the words and you feel the shutters thrown wide, the room air out, the light pour in. In baseball, no other day is so pure with possibility. No scores yet, no losses, no blame or disappointment. No hangover, at least until the game’s over.” This quote, from Mary Schmich, Pulitzer Prize winning columnist at the Chicago Tribune, says it all. At least to me – and to baseball lovers everywhere.
Today is April 5, 2024 – and while the country is buzzing in anticipation of Monday’s eclipse, in the world of baseball all that matters is – IT’S BASEBALL SEASON! The now annual right of passage here in Colorado is, of course, the Colorado Rockies home opener…a day that my husband and friends have made an annual celebration of possibility, shenanigans, and generally a day to embrace the outlook of a pure optimist! (Let’s set aside the fact that the Rockies have already sort of blown the optimism of any sort of possibilities once again this season but HEY, we’re only a week in people! Stay with me here…)
But wait, there’s more! Today also marks OPENING DAY for the Midland Rockhounds! The AA field team for the Oakland A’s, who’s roster includes our son Jack…who, along with his brother Kyle were, of course the inspiration for this blog more than a few years ago. Once again, today, Jack gets to PLAY. BASEBALL. Imagine – run onto the diamond, feel the grass, look up at a blue sky. And we, the sports parents, get to go along for the ride.
How will you step into the day today? There are the things we can choose to carry into each day – a heaviness about the world as it is, the suffering taking place in different parts of the world, anxiety about the future of the planet, perhaps your own personal struggles at the moment. But maybe, today we can all step out of the worry, set down or let go of the heaviness, for a moment. And look up at the blue sky, kick off our shoes and feel the grass under our feet, and just know that every day, if we decide to embrace it, anything is possible. Especially on opening day.
GO ROCKHOUNDS, GO ROCKIES, and forever in our hearts..GO TRIBE! (you can take the girl out of Cleveland…)
PLAY BALL!
Tales From The Bleachers 