In Between

"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans."
~ John Lennon

Last night at the baseball game between the Washington Nationals and the New York Yankees the game ended on a dramatic bottom of the tenth inning home run that hit the foul pole by Nationals' home town favorite Ryan Zimmerman.  The Nats won 8-6.

On the way home I commented that the Nats had taken a 2 run lead in the first inning  on two homers and then eventually won by 2, so why all the fuss in between?  The obvious answer, quickly supplied by my wife Peg, "But we would have missed all the fun and excitement."

We would have missed what has become one of Nats pitcher Gio Gonzalez's all too predictable melt-downs in the 4th inning when the Yankees when ahead 4-2.  We would have missed a 2 run homer by the Yanks' first baseman Mark Teixeira.  We would have missed the Nats scratching back with 3 runs in the fifth inning and "Wilson!'s" towering homer in the sixth to tie the game.  We would have missed two bullpens battling it out for three innings and a spectacular (and possibly game-saving) catch by Denard Span in center field in the top of the 10th to keep the score tied.  We would have missed hero-of-late Bryce Harper's strike out to give way to Zimmerman who showed us why he is still, "Mr. Walk-off!"

So, again, baseball reflects life.  How much of our lives do we miss by rushing from one event to another without paying attention to the in between?   Do we remember our past from mile post to mile post, or do we also remember the paths in between?  How about all of those little decisions and actions that lead us to the big ones?

The truth is we are each born and we will all eventually die, so why all the fuss in between?  You got it - because we would miss all the fun and excitement!"   We would miss the fullness of life with all of it sorrow, all of its joy, and all that's in between.  

The "in between" is where our lives happen and make a difference - savor it!