Reunion

I don't know if I shared this with the blogosphere or not, but earlier this spring, I had quite a scare.

I thought I had lost a dear friend.  My softball glove.  This sounds like a material posession, I get that.  But to me, it was much more.  I had had this glove since I was about 10 years old (for the evil ones who know how old I am and are counting, that's about 20 years!).  This glove was there through a lot.  Softball is a favorite past time of mine.  It was always something I enjoyed, I was good at, and I shared with my dad.  I remember a couple of tough summers during my parents' divorce where I got a lot of frustration out on the softball field.  That glove played kid ball, fall ball, high school ball, even adult ball when I played on the WAVY News 10 Team!  There were a lot of memories there!!

When I couldn't find it before my first game this season (I play for the National Press Club, GO BIG BLUE!) I was seriously in tears!  I thought in all of my cleaning out and purging and moving, perhaps I had accidentally gotten rid of it.  I was convinced that it got unloaded at the Goodwill store by mistake back in February.  I even went to the Goodwill and went through their back room and interviewed their staff during my investigation!

I had lost all hope.  I bought a new glove.  It's  nice.  Better, even, imagine how much gloves have improved in the last 20 years!  I've been kicking tail on the field this season with my new glove.  But still, I hadn't forgotten.

Then... last Saturday, my coach was emptying the team equipment bag to switch some stuff around and IT FELL OUT!  I saw it land on the dirt.  All worn and flat and my heart melted like I was seeing a new baby being born or something!!!!  WE ARE RE-UNITED.  I scooped that thing up, put my hand in the rotten, stiff leather and held it up to my face to smell it.  Talk about a rush of memories!

I haven't decided if I will play with my old friend or my new glove for the rest of the season.  I feel like putting this sucker in a glass case!  But, wow, am I relieved.

Old and new, side by side.  I didn't realize how "grey" my glove was.  I always described it as black, but up against the new one, it does look really worn.

It's wisdom, really.

Here's a little context for you.

This is us, back in high school!