Well, well, well. After an up and down season that came down to the wire-ish and required a one-game playoff with the Yankees to exorcise the Bucky Bleeping Dent demon, the Sox faced off as underdogs against the division-leading Rays. It was going to be a tough series—the Rays we’re 100 game winners, they almost always offer the Sox a challenge, and they also have the bonus fuel of repping an up and coming city of champions. (Lightning. Cough. Buccaneers. Cough.)
So last Wednesday when I was out walking and Kerri texted me that she got tickets for Sunday’s game, I was pretty much out of my mind. If you don’t already know how the game went, you don’t care about baseball—so there’s no need for me to recap it. But let’s say if I was pretty much out of my mind when I found out we got tickets, I was absolutely out of my mind when Christian Vázquez hit a walkoff homer over the Monstah to win it in the bottom of the 13th. Dirty watah, baby! (For those of you Fenway Unfaithful, when the Sox win, the song they immediately blast in Fenway is Dirty Water by the Standells (then Joy to the World by Three Dog Night followed by Tessie by Dropkick Murphys). So it’s a pretty rocking time as one makes an exit.) Icing on the cake was bumping into my old grad school buddy Ron by the beer stand before the game and debriefing immediately after the game with my friend Charlie (plus we had to get a pic together to send his mom who is also one of my besties).
Monday morning was all adrenaline. Coffee and more coffee before commuting up the stairs and digging in for another work week. Early afternoon I heard Kerri’s phone ringing and going unanswered (she was downstairs, not ignoring it), so when my phone rang and I saw a call come in from my brother-in-law Mike immediately after that I suspected something was afoot. He always calls her first when he’s looking for a partner in crime. He asked me if we had fun at the game Sunday and when I answered yes and launched into how awesome it was he cut me off and asked if we wanted to go again that night with him and my sis. After a brief consultation (we both had 2pm meetings to tend to and didn’t have much time to think) we surprised ourselves and them and agreed to go. And what a treat it was! We always have a great time with them but as I mentioned earlier the Sox were giant underdogs, and we got much more than we were expecting—another walkoff win, this one to clinch the series, on a sac fly by Kiké Hernández, and on a gorgeous (and warm) October night. Plus one of my nephews was also at the game so we saw him for a bit. Bonus.
We’re on to Houston, series starts tonight.
So yeah…I feel good about the Sox winning and about being lucky enough to be at both games, but mostly I feel good about experiencing life with people I love so much.
Speaking of people I love so much, my oldest niece is one of them, naturally. She is 20 years old, a junior in the nursing program of Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and today is a very special day for her. Though I am not there in person I will be fully present in spirit as she participates in the White Coat Ceremony and Blessing of the Hands this afternoon. During this event, she affirms her commitment to patient-centered humanistic care and has her precious hands blessed as she begins caring for patients in a clinical setting after two years of classroom learning. My mom is a retired nurse and is a woman of strong Catholic faith, so it makes my heart so happy to know that she is there in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for such a blessed full-circle moment. I can only imagine the immense sense of joy and pride she’ll feel watching her oldest granddaughter walk in her footsteps. My mom still is an awesome caretaker, and my niece has that same selfless and giving heart. Somewhere in the world there are people who someday will be lucky enough to be in Annie’s skillful and compassionate care, and I believe she will change their lives. I know for sure that she has changed mine.
Another thing I feel really good about is the fact that Kerri’s sis and bro-in-law are closing on a house in Weymouth today. It’s 8 minutes away, and it will be great to have more family in the ‘hood. Weymo just keeps getting better!
I also feel good about Adele’s just-released single. Can’t wait for the full album. She does angst like no other, yet it’s such classy angst…and you know me and my angst. I can’t escape it so I embrace it. What. A. Voice.
Hopefully you’re able to find a few things to feel good about this Friday, but if you can’t, remember to be easy on yourself. I know that some weeks it’s harder to find blessings to count than others, but I also know that there always will be blessings to count if you look hard enough. You gotta believe!
As always, thanks so much for being here. I appreciate it, and you, so much. Hope you have a great weekend.
Go Red Sox. Go Pats.