Land of the Free, Home of the Brave

The Finish Line for the Boston Marathon

I was stunned today by the news of the tragedy at the Boston Marathon.  The news was so awful that it really didn't seem real.  It was almost too much to believe.  I thought of the runners and their families the spectators who were there to cheer on these amazing athletes and the unselfish volunteers who just wanted to provide a safe, fun experience for the runners and their guests.

One of the participants in the marathon was from my triathlon club.  She briefly shared some of her thoughts with us via Facebook.  These are her words of the moments from just before the tragedy:

"My husband was just about to post a picture of us at the finish... It was to read 'one of the happiest days of our lives'...Then the bomb went off...."

I have tried to ignore the news reports on the tragedy throughout the day, but they are tough to avoid.  It just didn't seem like watching the sadness over and over was a very productive thing--at least for me.  But I will tell you one thing that I noticed.

Volunteers Aiding the Victims

In the seconds after that first explosion, I realized that police officers, race volunteers (including doctors) wearing their fluorescent yellow bibs, National Guardsmen, spectators and runners started running toward the blast.  Within minutes, they had stripped away the barriers and fences to make room for ambulances and emergency responders to get to the victims on the sidewalk.  These courageous men and women weren't trying to get away.  They were literally running to aid the victims.  They exhibited little care or concern for their own safety or for whether there might be further danger.  They went to aid the injured because they simply wanted to help.

NYC's Bravest

It reminded me of the bravery of the NYC firefighters on 9/11 who selflessly raced up the stairs of the Twin Towers at the same time that the survivors were coming down the stairs to get out and as the buildings were collapsing.  That type of courage is remarkable to me and it seems fitting that moments of tragedy can reveal the true greatness of our nation's character.

I'm grateful for these examples of nobility and sacrifice that temper our nation's tragedies.  The selflessness, bravery, and courage of those volunteers today and the heroes of 9/11 are what makes this country great and what makes me proud to be an American.  I will try and focus on that bravery, that spirit of bravery and courage--rather than dwell on the unimaginable sadness, loss, and grief that too many are still enduring.

There are people around the world who apparently hate this country and what it stands for enough to try and harm the innocent.  But I'm grateful that there are so many good Americans out there--like those police officers, race volunteers, spectators, and runners at the finish line in Boston today--that can inspire us.

Field of (Foggy) Dreams

Hitting in the fog--If you look closely you can see the blur of the pitch as it speeds toward the batter.

R. had another baseball game last night.  Even though I feel like Spring is right around the corner, last night's game was anything but Spring-like.  It was cold (54 degrees at the field in Dana Point) and damp.  You could literally see the fog and mist rolling in from the ocean less than a mile away.

Despite the fact that I was in a long-sleeved dress shirt, I was cold and I actually grabbed my spare jacket out of the trunk of the car.  I tried to send several texts, but my fingers were numb from the cold, damp coastal air.  My thoughts on Little League baseball are too complex and conflicted for this post.  But if my own kids weren't playing, there's no way that I'd ever spend more than 2 minutes at the ball field.

As miserable and physically uncomfortable as I was, R. was even worse.  R. is 11 years old, but has really only played about 2 years of baseball in the past 4.  He has a lot less experience than the other boys.  The coach told us that when they pick teams at practice, R. is always picked last.  When I got to the game, I checked the line-up card.  Sure enough, R. was in his usual position--batting last (signifying that he is the worst hitter on the team).  R. got up to bat 3 times tonight.  He struck out every single time.

Normally I love the fog, but this fog held a more somber feel to it.

On defense, R. only plays in the field about every other inning because he really hasn't mastered a position on defense.  I realized at one point that he was shivering because his uniform wasn't warm enough for the cold.  I took off my jacket and gave it to him.

As a parent, I could sense his frustration and disappointment mount as the game went on.  I know that tonight's game was anything but fun for him.

I don't care whether the team wins or loses, but I want R. to be able to experience some success and to have fun.  Is that too much to ask?  As a dad, I feel like a failure.  Little League was always fun for me.  I had good friends and teammates, made all-star teams, and liked playing.  I'll never forget hitting a home run over the fence for the first time when I was about 12 years old.  It was a play-off game and I was the lead-off hitter in the game.  We won 1-0.

While some of my teammates went on to play in college and the minor leagues, I stopped playing baseball when I reached high school because my passion was stronger for other sports.  I've never regretted the decision to hang up my cleats, but I'm glad that I played.

I want R. to be able to have those same experiences, but it is just not possible to "download" my baseball experiences into R.  Instead, I am trying to be supportive, positive, and encouraging.  Two years ago, R. told me that his dream was to be a professional baseball player.  I'm sure his "dream" tonight would be to quit.  But I'm not in the business of raising quitters.  And even if R. never plays another inning after this season, I want him to feel like he gave it his best shot.

If you build it, they will come...

I don't have any answers for R. or for the questions and concerns that I have running through my head.  When we got home, I suggested that R. and I watch a movie together.  I wanted to cheer him up and that seemed to work.  At bedtime, he asked for me to come in and read to him.  I did, even though I probably should have been braving the cold and fog to put in some mileage in preparation for Oceanside.  I guess I feel like being a dad is more important than getting in my own workout.

I'm grateful for R.'s coaches and his teammates who have been patient and supportive.  The other parents have also been incredibly nice, even though I really don't even know their names yet.  It is a little humbling to see strangers who are willing to help your child.  And I hope that I am reminded of this the next time I have the opportunity to pay it forward by coaching or cheering for a team.

R. may never make the Olympic baseball team, but I'm okay with that.  We all have challenges in life.  But the important thing may well be how we choose to respond to those challenges.  As a kid, my mom made us memorize this poem.  I can still recite it to this day:

Stick to your task till it sticks to you; 

Beginners are many, but enders are few. 

Honour, power, place, and praise 

Will come, in time, to the one who stays. 

Stick to your task till it stick to you;

Bend at it, sweat at it, smile at it too; 

For out of the bend and the sweat and the smile 

Will come life's victories, after awhile. 

-Anonymous 

Ralph Waldo Emerson (and President Heber J. Grant) said: "That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed, but our power to do so is increased.”  Even if R. doesn't get a single hit the entire season, is it too "touchy-feely" to think that R.'s season will be successful if he learns the power of persistence?  As R.'s dad, my job is to try and teach him these types of lessons.

That doesn't necessarily make the current situation any easier for me though.  This experience is making me think that sometimes the toughest challenges in life may be the challenges that we witness our loved ones struggle to overcome.

So while I struggle to help R. improve his baseball skills and learn persistence, I have some areas of my own life in which I can experience growth--including having more patience and kindness.  And even if things seemed a little foggy last night, I can still hope that R. will achieve his dreams as the fog lifts and disperses--whether those dreams involve the baseball field or another worthy goal.

For Love of Country: Seven Thoughts on the Election

Vote for "Love of Country"

I just voted by filling out my absentee ballot for this year's election.  Here are seven things that I thought about as I voted this year:

1. Candidates that don't bother to fill out a candidate statement shouldn't bother to expect my vote.  Honestly, how am I supposed to know who you are or what you stand for if you don't bother to tell me yourself.  This mostly applies to the local elections where I have no idea what the holder of the office is supposed to do (i.e. water district candidates or board members for the local community college district--why are there at least 7 of them?  Do we really need that many when I don't have any idea what the job does?).


2. I'm overloaded with the deluge of commercials about California's various propositions.  What I really want is a gladiator-style debate where I can play each side's commercials to the other side and ask them if the claims are really true.  Barring that, I'd love to put them under oath and subject them to a little cross-examination about their claims.  Seems like I could save everybody a whole lot of money.


3. I actually try to read the language of some of these ballot proposals.  It's exhausting.  Clearly the whole "plain English" movement sweeping the legal profession has not reached whoever is writing these propositions.  Maybe they want us to be confused.  In the absence of such clarity, I often look to see what organizations support or oppose the initiative.  Many times, I will vote against the organization supporting the ballot measure.



Would you support Prop 32?

4. I'm sick of career politicians who skip from one office to another and make a living by eating out of the public trough.  I almost voted for one such politician who was drummed out of office under the cloud of scandal and is now shamelessly running for another office.  They should have put an asterisk next to his name in my ballot!  Thank you Google for allowing me to confirm my suspicions.


5. Who are these people that run for office?  Our political system seems so dysfunctional, I can't imagine who would volunteer for the abuse that comes with running for office.  I worry that this limits the pool of decent men and women who would be candidates and it scares me a little.


6. Everyone talks about encouraging people to get out there and vote.  Sometimes that bothers me when I see people that have taken no steps to educate themselves on the issues and who clearly have no idea what is going on.  Why should their vote cancel out mine?  Shouldn't we encourage people to get educated first and then vote?  Is that so un-American?


7. I'm really sick of all the polls in the Presidential race.  I can't make heads or tails of them.  I have a strong suspicion that someone is lying (whether the pollsters or the polls or the news media).  Does anyone really believe that this race should be as close as every poll seems to claim that it is?

This just looks like gibberish to me!

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Rainbow Over Our Community This Morning (thanks C.H.!)

I woke up this morning to rain.  But, as I drove the kids to school, I realized that not only had we been blessed with rain (which we so desperately need here in Southern California), but we had been doubly blessed with a beautiful rainbow.  My boys were so excited to see it as we drove down the hill to school.

The picture above was not one that I took.  It was taken by a friend of mine and I snagged it off of his Facebook page.  But I think that it looks awesome!

The rainbow was incredibly bright.  I think it's been a long time since I've seen one so bright.  And, even cooler, was the fact that it was a double rainbow.  If you look closely, you can see the second rainbow to the  left of the main one.  I can't remember the last time that I saw a double rainbow like that.

Later today, as I sat in my office, I heard a huge ruckus on my office window.  I looked out only to see the rain coming down like buckets, even though the sky was sunny.  It was an awesome sight, so I grabbed my camera to snap a picture.

It was coming down so hard that I was reminded of a quote from Saturday Night Live's "Deep Thoughts" with Jack Handy:

If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is "God is crying." And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is "Probably because of something you did."

I've never complained about the rain here in Southern California because we need it so bad.  But today reminded me that not only is the rain necessary--it can be incredibly beautiful.  Sometimes rainy days aren't so bad...Despite what Jack Handy thinks!  ;-)

The rain out my window today