One way I’m trying to upgrade from Keith 1.5 to Keith 2.0 is to try things I normally wouldn’t do, and keep an open mind. A friend has often invited me and the kids to go on his boat, but I’ve never been much of a lake person and always declined. Well, we arrived at his dock Saturday morning with open minds. The kids had a blast and couldn’t get enough of tubing. It was touching that they only wanted to do it together, not individually.
One of friends I made through a divorce support group told me he lived and slept on his boat every night on Lewisville Lake after he and his wife separated until they were able to settle on property. I always wondered how big of a boat he has.
The kids and I watched Field of Dreams Friday night. It delighted me it hooked them from the beginning and they thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, to my surprise, I didn’t cry. It was the first movie that happen to come on television and the first that I watched after my father died, which happened 24 years ago this month. I once counted the total number of days he was in my life, which was around 22 years.. I then counted and marked on the calendar those number of days since I started a relationship with my then wife. On that date, I was going to tell her about the special occurrence and give her something special. Oh, well. One day, I hope to find someone who would appreciate and take to heart such a moment.
I forgot just how good James Earl Jones was in that part, and I loved that it included Burt Lancaster’s last scene. The man was smooth and elegant. I loved the story of when his character died. They found in his office boxes of blue hats he never got around to give his wife. The romantic in me loved that, and at the end of my marriage, there were several gifts I had for my wife that I never got around to giving her. I was good at giving her a steady flow of things to show her my appreciation, which she now thinks was nothing more than manipulation.
Man, that movie influenced my life more than I thought. I never played catch with my dad. So I made damn sure I was going to play catch should I ever have a son. And, whenever he asks to have a catch, I never turn down the opportunity. Even when I lost my fine and most of my gross motor skills last fall, I gave it my best.
As much as I like a good baseball movie, I find it funny I never played organized ball. I was scared someone like the bully Shannon Yeats, who was a pitcher, would do nothing but try to hit me with the ball. Shannon, btw, has been dead slightly longer than my father after speeding away from the cops after stealing something to buy more drugs.
Anytime I hear a reference about the ends of the Earth or where the Earth stops (before the age of flat-Earthers), I immediately think of one of the final scenes from the movie The Gods Must Be Crazy. I referenced the movie not long ago, as I watched it with the kids. I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks that way. My pastor used it as an illustration yesterday.
