“We don’t know what’s going to happen in our lives-we just think we do.” Richard Carlson
“Just do it” Nike
In 2006 my son Ben and I decide to take a road trip. We were going to Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Our White Sox had won in 2005 so they would be featured; that was a great excuse to do what we had promised for some time. I thought Cooperstown with Ben would be great.
At the same time, it was 600 miles in the car. I dreaded that. I could foresee back aches, fatigue, too many trucks. I figured Ben would drive too fast and tail gate. I wondered how I could listen to his music for 600 miles. Oh well, that is just the price of the day in Cooperstown with Ben, I thought.
So we drive to Cooperstown. He drives better than I do. He teaches me about Bela Fleck and about Bare Naked Ladies (THE ROCK GROUP!). We talk of Jimmy Buffet and the Beatles and we talk and take turns napping and driving… and we talk. We remembered, we told jokes and we talked of our lives. The trip was most pleasant.
Cooperstown was fantastic. We saw all of the Hall of Fame and talked to many. We even made friends with Yankee fans. (In Cooperstown it seems everyone is just a baseball fan) We toured the quaint city and ate hot dogs and fries.
Then we got back in the car for the long ride back to Indiana. We talked of life and Bare Naked Ladies and slept and took turns driving. We told jokes and talked of our lives. We remembered…now including Cooperstown.
In Ohio, as we neared returning home, I realized that the best part of the trip was the time in the car. I did not want it to end. With a tear in my eye and a quiver in my voice I shared that with Ben. With a quiver in his voice he agreed the journey was for him was the best part too.
We now do a baseball road trip every year. This year we will drive to Busch Stadium in St Louis and Kaufman Field in Kansas City (and include the Negro League Baseball Museum). Some ask if our goal is to visit all the ball parks. That would be ok…but baseball is just an excuse for us to enjoy the trips. I am pleased we have learned to do so.
Make effort to enjoy your journey.
Bill
