We live about 2 hours outside of Atlanta in East TN. Since TN doesn’t have a baseball team, a lot of people in our region root for the Atlanta Braves. I’m not a close follower of baseball, but I do enjoy going to a game…especially with good friends! Our close friends are big Boston Red Sox fans. Four or five years ago we all went to a Braves vs Boston game. They were recently playing and we made a plan to go.
What a difference a few years makes.
That game 4 or so years ago presented some major challenges. First of all we had to park a LONG way away. Probably a 30+ minute walk. I remember being very miserable, sweaty, out of breath, and in pain the whole walk. I also remember having to stop at least once and sit down and rest, which was embarrasing.
Then come the seats. I remember being very tightly and uncomfortably wedged into a set between my wife and one of our friends, very conscious of how much I was spilling out on both sides (but thankful neither was a stranger!) The seat was uncomfortable and pressing into me. I had to go up and down steps which were rough and would immediately cause pain and cause me to be out of breath. And when it was all over I had to make the long trek back to the car. It was ROUGH.
Fast forward to this past weekend. Almost 280 pounds lighter and while not in “great” shape, still in the best shape I’ve been in, in probably over 30 years! We parked a good bit closer, but it was still a bit of a hike. I did it without so much as breaking a sweat. When we hit the steps here and there, I never lost a single stride. Someone around us walking, commented “whew, these steps are tough!” and I gave myself a little smile and mental pat on the back at how well I was handling them.
Once we got to our seats, I was once again between my wife and one of our friends…but I was completely comfortable in that seat, with plenty of room all around. Again, I smiled to myself.
This time the game, the whole experience, was much more enjoyable! I never want to lose site of every victory that comes with this new lease on life!
Sorry you had to see my ugly mug! 🙂