A New Perspective



Elizabeth and I at the Sox Game.



It's rare that I don't follow my normal pre-game, game time and post game routine when I attend a game at Fenway, or for that matter any other ballpark.  I want to take advantage of every opportunity to get an autograph, take in the atmosphere, eat at my leisure, keep score and enjoy friendly conversation.

However, I made an exception to this routine this past Thursday night.  While my daughter has been to Fenway many, many times, it's usually with my wife and sister or my wife and me, etc...  I had never taken her alone to a game.  I knew going in, this meant no keeping score, no autographs, probably missing a portion of the game, and maybe leaving early.

This night was about the pizza, the balloon artist, seeing Wally the green monster in the 3rd inning, snuggling in our seats, reading a book, playing in the kids area, exploring the team store and long shoulder rides to and from the car while singing silly songs.  This night was about paying attention to 3 innings of a game, and pretending to keep score, (Yes Elizabeth knows how to keep score and could recite plays back to me).  It was about finding a safe family restroom.  It was about holding a my little girl's hand, while navigating the crowded Fenway concourses to find our destination.

This night made me realize it's sometimes wise to place what we take for granted in perspective.  Made me realize that this isn't about what I want to do, or about the result in the game ( I honestly don't know who won, we left in the 5th inning, 2 hours into the game).  This is about spending time with a loved one (in this case my daughter), and just have a good time and live the experience through her eyes

Nothing made me happier than we when we arrived back at the truck and she said, "Dad, I'm sorry you didn't get any autographs, would you like my Wally autograph?".  I said, "how about a hug?".  Then her little arms squeezed me tight and the drive home didn't seem so long.


Elizabeth with her Ariel Balloon.