A few weeks ago, knowing that we'd only have the "littles" around we bought tickets to the local minor league team (NO! INDEPENDENT LEAGUE!!!). We picked a Thursday night, because that's when they have Fireworks! I checked and double checked, because they were having Fireworks on Tuesday night and Wednesday night, but it still indicated that that Thursday night there would indeed be fireworks.
That was until Monday. That's when I got an email (as I do regularly) with a list of promotions for this week. Thursday no longer indicated fireworks. Gulp!
I love Fireworks. Love them. This year, due to a very, very exciting event we were (happily) unable to attend the Town fireworks (which in itself is a ritual of summer. They are not far from our house, so we pack a chair, some water, a blanket, spray huuuge amounts of OFF! all over ourselves and walk fifteen minutes to sit on a great lawn with most of the community, and watch the show. Even better is walking back, with all sorts of neighbors, and friends of neighbors who park in their driveways, masses of humanity that you really don't get in the suburbs-masses of humanity is a relative term).
Unhappy with the prospect of no fireworks after the game, I called the number provided on the website, explained the problem, and was transgferred-to a full mailbox. So I tried again, explaining my situation a second time, and explaining my desire to exchange the tickets for Tuesday night, so that we could get fireworks. This time the guy explained that "the box office decides, but there are no refunds or exchanges, but I will transfer you." At least this time I knew where I was being transferred, and when I got the same full mailbox I drove down to the box office, and exchanged the tickets in under five minutes.
Now I had to find a babysitter. I had one for Thursday, but she was unavailable for Tuesday, turns out she was going to the game. Her mother also loves fireworks ( we ARE related). I finally found one at 5:20 this evening. We left to the game an hour later.
We had great seats (they all are, really), the game was fun, the "oldest home" had a fantastic time, and the fireworks did not disappoint. In fact they were incredibly abundant, the soundtrack that accompanied them appropriate (though I am not a Springsteen fan), and really had some cool effects.
It really made me think of how fortunate we are to have this country, and how much gratitude we must have for it. Like all things human there are certainly flaws from the past, present, and likely the future, but for as long as it lasts, this is place that treats us well, and lets us live in peace. I am completely aware that this by the grace of G-d, but the human messengers or conduits of this benevolence have my gratitude.
There is something magically about sitting in a small stadium on a warm summer night watching a gorgeous sunset, a decent game of baseball, a smile on your kid's face, and the wonder in her eyes as she watches the sky.
2 comments:
Does your gratitude extend to the man who made the stadium possible over the objections of the majority of the community and who has us taxpayers on the hook for 25 million dollars should the team go bankrupt or default on the bonds?
Not at all, but that's why I go to the games! Pay off the debt 16 bucks at a time!
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