Going to the Game
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It’s that time of year, the time for camp chairs to spring out, the crack of the bat, the smack of the ball hitting the glove and loads of fun conversations in the bleachers. It’s baseball and softball season!
I played a few years of baseball as a youth and will admit it was mainly to stay in shape because football season had passed, and it was a long road back to football and I sure as heck wasn’t running cross country. Ha!
I must admit that baseball had never been my favorite sport, until I moved to Olney. Now I can’t wait for the season to begin.
I am not sure if it is from growing closer to these student athletes I have been following and photographing since T-ball or the fact I have made a lot of friends here in Olney over the last seven years, but I have grown to love baseball and softball season.
The athletes may never see how much I love to follow their ups and downs or how hard I am rooting for them, but I am, on the field and off the field. When you photograph someone from childhood to young adult or teenager, I find I naturally grow close to their successes and failures, I take them to heart and am wishing and praying for the very best for them.
Another factor that may play into the enjoyment is age: as I get older I find pleasure in the more laid-back and relaxing activities. Or could it be that after the excitement of basketball and the emotions of football that I am ready to just kick back in my camping chair, enjoy the weather, the good conversations and the kids playing the slow game of spring?
For Texas there will always be that short but perfect window of amazing weather that makes going to a game so enjoyable and relaxing. There for a short few weeks we get to enjoy 70s to mid-80s weather - that brief time in North Texas where we are between freezing and smoldering. Ha!
The conversations at the games always seem so different than the ones at a basketball or football game. They are more relaxed and often have very positive conversations having nothing to do with sports, politics or negative things going on around us.
There could very well be chats about God and the Bible since Olney is a safe place to openly express our views on both, and almost always a welcome conversation. There are a lot of conversations on summer plans and some tearful ones by parents with seniors who will soon take the walk in red for their diploma.
If you ever want to see the best in Olney outside of church on Sundays, just show up to a Lady Cubs softball game or a Cubs baseball game with a camping chair or a pillow for your butt for the bleachers and you will see just how amazing and nice the people who live in Olney are.
This is Will B saying, take me out to the ball game, take me out to the crowd…