The "What If" Game

Remember when you were young and you would play those "What If" games? One person would ask another person a question about anything in the world and the other person would answer the best they could.

This usually sparked a conversation that included a great deal of daydreaming that could last for hours and made staring at animals floating across the sky on a partially sunny day seem so first grade.

Unfortunately, the game has pretty much died for me (except for those late night conversations at Starbucks and McAlister's). But this evening, I was reminded of this while watching the Yankees and Giants game.

A popular question that we would often ask ourselves would be, "If you could have one wish, what would it be?" Of course, if I was trying to become Miss America I would say, "World Peace," but it was the last thing on my mind this evening (a startling thought).

During the second inning of the game tonight, the camera captured what would be my wish. In the front row (of what I believed to be the first base side) was Billy Crystal and Robin Williams consuming what seemed to be two extraordinarily large hot dogs with all of the toppings.

If I could have one wish come true then for me it would be to watch a baseball game with these two great comedians. Of course, we would quote various aspects of Mr. Williams' material that I have memorized (much to my friends peril) and Mr. Crystal could do impressions of his relatives that made the book 700 Sundays a page-turner for me.

Also, let us not forget the game. There is no bigger baseball fan and, for that matter, no bigger Yankee fan than Billy Crystal. I am sure his stories are priceless as well.

Granted, this wish is both childish and sad but I think that it is why I played this game so much.

During the "What If" conversation, the child's mind is free to imagine. Free to create. Free to dream. As Mr. Williams once said, ". . . only in their dreams can men be truly free. It was always thus and always thus will be."

It was nice returning to that world once again. Maybe I shouldn't be such a stranger and visit more often.

My Finals, My Future

It is the last night before finals week begins. As is customary, I am up late delaying the sleep which will make my first exam come sooner than I wish.

Of course, my mind is a little bit concerned about the subject of my first final although not too mcuh. Despite it being unlike it any class that I have ever taken, the class will definitely help me in my future career.

However, other subjects are keeping my eyelids from shutting. Mostly, I have just been pondering questions about the past and how my future could have been so much different.

The details of these questions are pretty personal so I will not mention them but it is interesting to think about them every now and then. Would I have been different? Would I have been the same person that I am now? Would I have the same interests, hopes, dreams, and thoughts?

All that I know is that I am ready to do what I was meant to do. Right now, I am in a tough place. It seems that as soon as you know what you want to do with the rest of your life, you want the rest of your life to begin as soon as possible.

I know for sure that I am capable of doing the tasks that will await me when I enter the real world. These past few years, I have learned that no single letter is a measurement of a person. Why are we judged by just one letter?

Much focus has been given to these kind of achievements instead of a person's ability to work hard and better themselves. Even though, I have figured this out, I wish that some of the people would do the same.

When I read a book, I am not concerned with just one letter. I am concerned with the words and sentences that the letters make up, the ideas presented, and the message that it presents. I wish to see people the same way by looking at every aspect of themselves and not limiting myself to one aspect (or letter) of their personality.