Reality Check – Baseball Not So Important

I turned the televison off in the living room and headed for the shower. I wasn’t happy. I just watched the Tampa Bay Rays get eliminated from the MLB playoffs by the Texas Rangers in game 5. I couldn’t believe the mental errors that were made by a usually smart baseball team. I love sports, and I probably take it too serious – especially when my team is on the losing end.

Getting into bed, I wasn’t ready to sleep yet. Why do you spend all that time and energy playing all of those games, just to lose in the first round of the playoffs? I know it wasn’t their intention – but it was still tough to watch….And then I changed the channel to CNN. The first Chilean miner of the 33 trapped underground was making his way to the surface. The wheel was spinning, and with each rotation, the first rescue was another foot closer to becoming a reality.

Family members waited nearby. The miner’s wife and child stood with smiles on their faces. Anticipation was mounting as the time passed. It would take 15 minutes to go from underground to surface. I guess after over 60 days being trapped, what was another quarter of an hour? I have to say, as each minute passed, I found myself holding my breath and praying that nothing went wrong.

The little boy waiting for his dad just kept smiling as rescuers talked with him. Finally, Miner #1 reached the surface. After a minute of getting him out of the protective cage, he finally got to touch his family once again. The little boy, with tears flowing from his eyes, probably will never smile or be as happy as he was in that moment.

You think about everything these men and their families have been through over the last couple of months, and it gives you a serious reality check. Here I was, laying in a warm bed with my wife at my side, just minutes before, angry at the world because a baseball team lost. It’s moments like the ones being witnessed over the last 14 hours that everyone should stop and think about what’s important in life. For me, it’s being able to love my family and enjoying the company of good people. It’s about learning new things in life, making people laugh, and doing what you love. It isn’t about making the most money or being famous. And “most important” certainly isn’t being on the winning side of a baseball game.

Feeling Crafty? Not so much…

What is it about hanging up pictures that is so difficult? We’ve got a collection of frames and pictures now sitting in our living room that have been collected over the years.

We decided to pull them out of the closet and consider hanging them on the wall in our living/dining rooms. Only trouble is…we must lack the ability to fully see our plan through. It’s now four hours later, and I’m sitting here typing away. Christy is laying down with a headache, and our dog Riley seems to be the only one with any energy (If only she could use a hammer and nails). I think she might do a better job of hanging the pictures anyway.

I think we’re trying to get too artistic. Real Simple magazine makes it look easy, but in all honesty, it’s more Real Difficult than anything. Oh….but the grocery list is done for the week. Although, we still have to actually make it to the Harris Teeter and buy the food on that list. So there you have it…another project unfinished. What to do….What to do…