Thursday, August 10, 2006

We still have t-ball

It's easy to get cynical and one of the greatest challenges I face is avoiding the grasp of cynicism. It's easy to watch the cruelty and indifference of human beings to one another - the daily newscasts are little more than a running chronicle of man's inhumanity to man, along with health tips, since someone in the news departments apparently believes that we all want to cling to this mortal coil for as long as possible. You wonder why that would be, if things are so terrible.

One reason is t-ball. There's nothing like watching a group of six year old kids earnestly chasing a soft padded baseball around a dirt field, the air punctuated with shouts of joy and the occasional tear because someone fielded "my ball." When a kid catches a ball, or strikes a mighty blow that clears the infield, or finally gets to have the post-game treat, there is pure joy on display.

This has been, in many ways, a crappy year. But giving our kids a chance to smile, play and be a kid can make all the bitterness fade away, if only for a moment. Those are moments worth cherishing. Thank you, New Brighton Park Department, for giving us those moments.

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