What’s a couple of days? Really…We have spent our whole lives chasing “a coupe of days away”. Hump Day is founded on “a couple of days away”…Christmas Eve Eve…is “a couple of days away”. Is “a couple of days” really two days? Sometimes its three days away or even four…After “a couple of days” comes, “about a week away. Who knows? I guess it all depends on the occasion and your outlook.

Monday arrives and I am out of fuel and out of whatever it is that has gotten me through the last three days. I don’t remember how long  I slept but it was at least twelve hours. I’ve run out of optimism. I don’t remember being depressed or in the dumps. I’m just a little off of my game. Tuesday I have a pretty busy day including a Chamber lunch for the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce. I am an Ambassador for the Chamber and today I am charged with the task of helping the attendees find their name tags. It sounds easy…I guess it is pretty easy except for the backwards upside down alphabetical order they are stored. It is a puzzle of sorts….and today my idiot gene is showing itself. The luncheon was a pretty good distraction. I was sitting in my office not thinking about “it”. I had to put my smile on and engage the folks who were in front of me. If only for three hours, the event helped me get my head back on straight and shake “it” off. That’s just what I did. I’m almost half through, “a couple of days” and I should get the results back tomorrow….or Thursday at the latest….hopefully. I head back to the office, I have a good day and manage to be productive.

Tuesday winds down and leads to Wednesday. Parker’s baseball coach set up an event for the baseball team to go on the field with the defending Southern League Champs, The Birmingham Barons.

What a night! It was the prettiest day of the year. The little boys are out there with the big boys. It was kinda cool for a couple of reasons. The minor league guys aren’t living the dream…they’re in pursuit of their dreams. My understanding of minor league baseball is that these guys are living on pennies. They don’t have fame or live the lifestyle of the guys in, “The Show”. Most of these guys were “famous” in their hometown high school or maybe college. Their “new normal” is part of the price they must pay to chase their MLB dream. Long gone are the accolades and press clippings. But this night, they are heroes to little boys. They are signing autographs and being looked up to by young ball players. This night they are baseball heroes.

I don’t know who smiled more, the parents or the kids. I was a little restless and dumber than usual. I like to be in the middle of it. I love people and I love learning about people….not today. Today, I sat back I kept my distance and tried to take it all in. The kids are running around the outfield. The parents are divided up and in a steady rotation between people and topics. The bats are cracking. One ball was fouled over in our direction. The outfielder snagged it and tossed it up to the kids. They were thrilled. It was a slice of Americana served up with a side of sweet tea.

I bet Parker he would fall asleep before we reached our fifteen minute destination. He won the bet. He was exhausted but was not going to lose to me. I didn’t want to go. I wanted to sit and do nothing at home in my office without interruption. Life’s about choices…I would never get that day “right” without choosing Parker and baseball over me and…well, me.

I get one right on occasion. Let’s hope Eric calls me tomorrow with the good news.