School Spirit
dayDrove into Houston last Friday with a long-time friend to watch our college team play ball on Saturday. Our crew of season ticket-holders used to number ten. Now it’s two and we only buy tickets when we need them. The game was played on a fine fall day in Texas with lots of sun and highs in the nineties. Our team won after a delay brought on by lightning. There was rain too. Just enough to make the humidity spike.
I don’t know when we’re going back. Life has dealt us some hard cards. Four spouses have departed this vale of tears. And most of us live far afield. Still, my friend and I cling to the memories of the old days and enjoy our walks across campus, marveling at the new buildings while trying to remember where we had our classes. We talked about making at least one more game this year, but the four-hour drive feels longer than it did when we were young. Still, it’s on the menu.
Luckily, both of us still function at a decent level, physically and mentally, even if we are moving slower with planned stops on our drives to walk around and stretch the legs. I guess you could say we’re pretty perky for two old guys. And, as if we needed more incentive to stay alive, both of us have young grandchildren. They’re definitely a spark in our lives. And maybe one day we’ll bundle them all up and take them to a game, dressed in red, to tell them stories about their grandmothers and the days when we were young.