Changing Times

Tonight was the last night I will be playing with my softball team this season.  We have two games left, but unfortunately, my class schedule is going to keep me from making those games.  It's been a lot of fun, but I can't help but notice how my softball experience this season has been compared to those of my cousins and their families.

First, there's my Germany cousins.  They've spent the last couple of months playing softball in Germany (of course), the Netherlands, and Italy.  Yes, they live in Germany, which makes it a lot easier to get to those places, but still.  Then there's my Houston cousins.  They've been playing around Houston, but they've also spent the last few summers playing at nationals in Florida.  Then there's me.  The park I play at is about 10 minutes from my house, and that's if I get all the lights red.  The furthest we've gotten to travel is Field 4.  After the games, there's no sightseeing.  Instead, there's hanging out in the parking lot and having a beer with the rest of the team.  Things are definitely different.

Now I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy this season; I had a blast.  Win or lose, this team was just fun to be around.  I played third base all season and spent a good amount of time joking with the shortstop about us having the shortest infield in the league.  I'm about 5' tall; I'd guess he's about 5' 7".  The girl playing second is shorter than I am, and the guy playing first might be an inch or two taller than the shortstop.  He pointed this out about half-way through the season when the other team had just hit about 3 or 4 line drives just over our heads and out of our reach.  Luckily, we had a good season, so that helped keep everyone in a good mood.  The best thing about playing is that for a couple of hours a week, we all got to step on the field and away from the stress of law school.

I would love to go to Germany or Italy, or even Florida, but that would probably mean I wouldn't have been a part of the Green Team (that wore the yellow softball shirts) and I wouldn't have gotten to hang out in the parking lot and have a beer with my friends.