To attempt any kind of every-day-of-the-year project, you have to be slightly crazy.
Playing catch in -15 degree wind chills. Crazy.
Driving 5,000 miles to connect with catch-playing friends. Crazy.
And I know the people who **have yet to** return emails or phone calls must think I’m beyond crazy.
Today was the hottest day in Springfield, Missouri in the last four years. Today is also the day Kaylea leaves for Europe. Thankfully, she’s traveling with two catch-playing friends, so there is comfort in that. I challenged her to take a picture of playing catch with someone while in Europe. We’ll see if it happens. Due to her schedule, I couldn’t get my game of catch in until later this afternoon, right at the peak temperature of the day. Spontaneous combustion was a real concern. Just another notch on the crazy belt.
A friend from college agreed to play catch which served as an early warm-up for his 9:15 and 10:20 games of slow-pitch softball.
I had just graduated college the last time I visited with Craigery. Thankfully, Facebook did what Facebook was intended to do and I’ve been able to keep up with his adventures, from softball to golf to being laid off work after 16 years due to a change in ownership. Facebook also let me see pictures of his trip to Scotland, where he and his wife celebrated their 20th anniversary.
Just before we connected at Meador Park, Craigery accepted a new job, which is pretty cool timing-wise. We stretched out for long toss which helped my arm and back to loosen up. And then he started telling stories of his first international trip.
I couldn’t stop laughing as he told the crazy story of the two-hour drive from Edinburgh to St. Andrews. It was, by far, the best stand-up comic routine I’ve heard in a long time. I struggled to imagine sitting in the opposite side of the vehicle, driving on the opposite side of the road, trying to operate a stick shift with my left hand. While there, he did get the opportunity to play the Old Course, parring more than a few holes and even birdie-ing one.
“It was the best trip of my life,” Craigery said. “Oh, and the best fish and chips, too.”
There is a certain kind of beauty in daring to do something crazy. It takes a unique combination of devotion, passion, hope, and even love.
This world could definitely use more stories of crazy love, especially in the middle of 100-degree days.
**Read as, “will never, ever, ever.”
