I am stranger #111 in Brent’s project.
I became stranger #111 because of his hilariously creative email.
Ethan,
I started getting white hair in 5th grade, had a unibrow, have a blue and a brown eye and an obvious birth defect that it is still awkward to acknowledge at age 52. Top that baldy. My goal this year is to meet 365 strangers. I’m currently on 110. Check my Instagram. I also started a Taco Tuesday Crawl to try every taco place in Springfield. We have been through 15 and have around 12 to go. I formally invite you to Maria’s on South Street this coming Tuesday, September 4, at 11:30.
Your creative way to connect with people piqued my interest so I wanted to meet you. However, you must know that although as a young boy I was a huge Royals fan (rooted for them against the Cards in ’85), I returned to the ways of my father and grandfather and was baptised a Cardinalite.
Brent
p.s. Sorry for calling you *baldy*.
Brent’s email is near the top of my favorite emails of 2018. When I read the blue eye and brown eye line, I immediately thought of Washington Nationals’ pitcher Max Scherzer who also has eyes of different hues. The Nationals have a graphic they display of his eyes on the outfield fence that I think is brilliant.
Side note: If Max Scherzer ever wants to play catch, I’m available.
I replied to Brent’s email thusly.
Brent,
Listen here Mr. Heterochromia Iridum.
I am quite strange.
Also, I love tacos. And Dr Pepper. Sadly, I do not have Instagram. It is not a friendly platform on my flip phone.
Would you be available for catch before lunch?
Ethan
We played catch in the alley behind Maria’s both before and after lunch. Brent borrowed the new Wilson glove as the Monday holiday had thrown him off schedule and he’d left his glove at home.
“I so wanted to play catch with my own glove, too.”
Now a realtor, Brent is also a licensed professional counselor whose mission in life is to help people grow through all of their experiences. Ken and Cheryl joined us for lunch and Brent talked me through the seven categories of the taco-rating experience. I had to withhold my vote on the onion-laced salsa. I also thought he needed to meet taco-fanatic Captain Springfield.
Brent’s oldest son is a freshman at The University of Texas at Dallas, so I listened for any wisdom and advice he had about transitioning into that stage of life. He’s writing a letter to his son for him to read when his firstborn goes to college. I’ll not spoil the details of that letter here.
After tacos, Cheryl joined me and Brent for the second round of catch, until her shoulder told her it was time to stop. Cheryl played ball growing up in Ohio. She met Brent when she pulled into his realtor’s office directly from California, U-Haul and vehicles in tow and all. Cheryl tore her rotator cuff at work last year, which sends shivers through my body just typing those words.
Catch 365 and Brent’s No Strangers project are two sides of the same coin, using simple joys of life, be it baseball or tacos, to make a new friend and increase the size of one’s community.
