Keep That Thought, or The Baseball Analogy

Keep That Thought, or The Baseball Analogy

You know I haven’t been inspired to write because writing is a sacred ground that should never be trod upon unless you have something to say. I became inspired this time in the most convoluted way.
My old friend has been working on this story about his wife’s great grandpa who was a great baseball player way back in  the day.
 His name was “ Bull Smith “ . I love my buddy, we’ve been through a lot together through the 80’s and 90’s, he toiled as an actor, I as a musician and we both worked as movers in NYC to support our art.
His piece about ”Bull Smith” just being optioned for film and I’m so proud and happy for him, and for me, because that’s what friends are for. To inspire. He got me thinking about baseball and it’s larger philosophical significance of holism.
I mean you have the people in the stands, the players in the field, the players in the dugout, the person on deck, and most dramatically the person up to bat. I guess one should not, and can not, forget the coach. To me that’s life in it’s entirety . I wonder if I even need to explain my rambling, for the analogy to me at least, is obvious.
Of course my rambles revolve  around cancer and the gift it gives, the thoughts it provokes.
In this journey I have met some amazing souls. Not having known them before the disease entered each of our lives, you could see this person who blossomed, who changed, who evolved.That’s the strange advantage of many
of us cancer folks, we get to see this amazing spiritual transition in our new found comrades without having known them before hand.

To get back to my baseball analogy, when you find out you have cancer it’s like you’ve been traded to another team.
You really don’t have a say in the trade. It takes some getting used to, but once you get the swing of things, that new team has a rhythm to it like no other. We all have that one powerful common experience.
Now you’re in the Major League, and it’s real, practice is over and whatever you thought you knew is put to task.
Your old friends are in the stands, Your new ones are on the field and in the dugout, and of course one is on deck and one is up to bat. We know that the pitcher is gonna be throwing a lot at us, our team is highly trained in that department. We know about the three strikes and your out rule but we also know we just may walk, while some of us are the Babe Ruth’s, the Mickey Mantle’s of our team and will hit that home run.
I’m proud of the team I’m on and would choose no other.
So here’s to Lewis D. “Bull” Smith and my buddy “Lucky” Lutkin for the inspiration.
Play Ball !