Just three more outs in a meaningless game in June – the San Diego Padres at the Miami Marlins – but for my buddy Tom and me, those three outs make this an official game and both of us have thereby finally completed a journey of more than thirty years. We had now seen major league games in all thirty current major league ballparks. Our friend Brian would also be “finishing” the next day in Detroit, while our pals Roger and Bob are with us and would finish them all the day afterward in Toronto. What is it that makes people pursue such a unique, while arguably “unimportant” dream in the context of our financial achievement-oriented society?
It’s a big world out there. Our lives can include so many different things. We are fortunate if we get to choose special things.
A travel pursuit like my friends and I are pursuing is certainly special. However, much more special still is the conversation we had at lunch on day four of five together – a deep discussion about the role that kindness plays in each of our lives and how we can contribute to increasing kindness in the lives of those we touch.
You see, it’s not just baseball that serves to bond this group of friends. It seems we are all in pursuit of learning and growing in our lives – each of us is curious beyond most anything else. It’s great to spend time together pursuing a common goal about something fun that is “important” to each of us such as baseball, but much more important is the time spent together learning from each other about living our lives in a way that is more valuable to those around us.
I wish for each of us that we get to build and nurture relationships in our lives that allow us to learn, grow and be inspired to become our best.
Thanks for sharing time with me; as always, I welcome your feedback. Please feel free to pass this message along to others who may find value.
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