perspective.

A few days ago July 1, 2010 only had one point of interest for me. Gears of War 2 experience points were going to be worth 8 times their normal amount. Then I got an email.

Richmond has been in the high 90's all week. It's been unbearably humid and after working outside in DC heat this past weekend, the last thing I wanted was to sit in a hard stadium seat and drip sweat for four hours. I mean, I don't even like baseball. I certainly don't like crowds and I hate bad beer out of plastic cups. Some emails just mean more than others.

I could not have constructed a such a wonderful night. From where I stand, no one could have. It was the most perfect weather of any Richmond night as far back as I can remember. Even the crappy hot dog was good. I kicked off my flip flops, propped my feet up on the empty seat in front of me and just enjoyed the game. Knowing me, it probably sounded like I was miserable and I am sure I complained about more than everything, but I was on a ladder that was on top of the tallest building in the highest part of cloud 9.

So much of life comes back to you when you're at a ball game. I remember going to games with my dad and the Ellermans as a kid. I remember my Dave Justice autographed ball that I lost in the back yard. I remember loving Dale Murphy more than any man on the planet. I remember John Oleruds rookie card in a pack of Upper Deck cards I got on my birthday. I remember messing up my birthday the year I threw a tantrum and decided to stay home... missing my name on the scoreboard screen. I remember being a kid. Maybe that's why people love baseball. The nostalgia. Even if it's not, that's a pretty good reason.

I didn't really have a revelation tonight. Just a really good time. Everything that ran through my mind is surely typical for anyone who spends most of their free time locked inside drinking beer and playing video games. It was out of nowhere and it was much needed. I see a lot and do a lot while I am out on the road. I guess I have conditioned myself to overlook all of the wonderful things I can do while I am here at home. I am not claiming that in 11 innings (we went over) I figured out the key to life, but I am pretty certain that at least for tonight, it was baseball. Baseball and perfect company.