Solace

Last weekend my dog died. It was a traumatic experience and I don't really feel like talking about it anymore right now, but an interesting thing happened to me because of it. I found myself comforted, surprisingly, by something I've never really had much interest in: Baseball.

Immediately after leaving my euthanized, gunshot dog at the emergency vet clinic, I had to rush the boys to opening day of Little League. The weather, which had been warm and sunny, turned cold, cloudy, and windy. Eventually it started blowing rain around too. But all of us parents huddled around to watch our kids play.

Tom is doing little league for the first time this year, playing t-ball, and he's loving it. It's a great way to learn the game. And it is a friggin' riot to watch. I found myself comforted by the distraction of the game, the sudden shift in focus, the pure entertainment value of watching a bunch of 5 and 6 year olds learn the rules of the game.

Then this afternoon, as I was starting to feel mopey while hanging out at home without my dog, the boys invited me to some batting practice. We used big bouncy balls and a foam bat, a great way to get used to hitting without having to focus on that tiny little ball. As I watched my 6 year old show my 4 year old how to hold the bat, I had to smile. It was a beautiful thing.