I was riding the El on Tuesday night, crammed in a car with Cubs fans. As soon as we pulled away from Addison, there was just two fans left, both wearing Greg Maddux jerseys. Curious, I looked over (I couldn't help it, I was listening to my ipod and I could still hear him talking) and realized that the two buddies were hosting a gambling ring! One man served as the ringleader, clutching a wad of $100 bills in one hand while the other guy egged him on as his sidekick. "If you have a hundred, win a hundred," he said. It didn't appear to be a scam, he was actually handing out hundreds back to people. If I had a hundred bucks I would have been tempted...and also pretty stupid to be carrying that much money around with me.
The object of the game was to keep you eye on the ball underneath the cup and at the end of his shuffling, to pick the correct cup the ball was under. If you kept your eye on the ball, you won the prize. It got me thinking that perhaps I could use a little of that game in my life.
Tuesday was the first day I was on my own in Chicago, and I spent nearly the entire day crying because I was so homesick. I looked up plan fares home and moving companies. I was back in the mindset that I had bitten off more than I could chew. But thanks to some brilliant advice from a couple friends, who told me to just remember the reasons I came out here, I managed to turn off the waterworks and adapt a more positive outlook. I was promised that this would be worth it, I just had to give life here a chance. In essence, I just had to keep my eye on the prize.
I don't know why I have never picked up the "keep your eye on the ball" idea until I saw the gambling Cubs fan on the El. Growing up playing softball and as a field hockey goalie, my focus was always on the ball. But it didn't come easy.
When I was eight-years-old I was so little I could crouch down at the plate and the minuscule strike zone I created almost always guaranteed a walk. I was the team's secret weapon, so much so that I never got a hit-- I didn't need to, I was always issued the four finger salute. One day my mom, sensing that I was afraid of swinging, promised me $1 and a slush puppy if I could get a hit. A couple games later, I made contact. I hit a foul ball, but it was good enough for my mom and she gave me that $1 and slush puppy. I kept my eye on the ball and earned the prize. The result wasn't perfect, or even a hit, but I did it.
Perhaps if I continue to keep my eye on the ball, I will win the ultimate prize. I just can't be afraid to swing. If I can swing at the plate, take my chances at living in this big city, I just may get what I came here for. Whether the ball lands fair or foul, I will have at least made contact. Maybe I just needed a little encouragement, not a slush puppy but just words of wisdom from friends. And like the people on the El who took a gamble on the game, I need to invest something in order to get a rewarding return.
And if I swing and strike out, I can adopt the mindset of the little boy in Kenny Roger's song, "I Am the Greatest:"
He says I am the greatest that is a fact
But even I didn't know I could pitch like that
I just have to remember that life doesn't always go the way you plan it, but sometimes it turns out better than you can imagine.
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