Opening Day - 2021

 

It's one of the greatest days of the year - and I don't mean April Fools Day - because I hate practical jokes! It's Opening Day for the 2021 season of Major League Baseball and while I can't tell you how long it's been since I've been to a baseball game, I know it's been over 500+ days and that's a terrible thing to say. 

The return of baseball feels a little bittersweet because Nationals Park is currently only allowing 5,000 fans into the stadium (which holds just over 42,000 fans) and all the games for the entire month of April have already sold out - to season ticket holders. So as thrilling as it is to see baseball return, I do wonder when and if I'll get to see a game in person...

The only time I've attended the Opening Day of baseball was the first game of the 2019 season - and when the Nationals lost the game, my Mom and I mused that perhaps 2019 wasn't going to be our season. A silly thing to say after only one game because baseball season is a marathon and not a sprint! The 2019 season was filled with so many bumps and the Nationals started at a terrible 19-31... but then, something happened... and it kept happening and the team kept fighting and when the season was all said and done - the Nationals were the World Series Champions! 

I will never forget the joy of being crammed with thousands of Nationals fans in the streets of DC to cheer and celebrate the Nationals winning the World Series - it's a moment in time that I will always cherish and tell my children about one day. Baseball is so very much like life - and perhaps that's why I love it so much. In baseball; as in life, things can change on a dime... one great move or false step can alter the course of the game, when everyone counts you out - if you just keep playing, you can come out on top and most importantly - sometimes the bumpiest roads lead to the most beautiful places!

I'm so glad that baseball is back again and I'll be whispering prayers and crossing my fingers for a chance to be back in Nationals Park again this season. It's been so long since I've been surrounded by the smell of beer, leather and Summer sunshine and the sound of the ball ricocheting off the end of a bat while the crowd roars. I just can't wait to be one of those fans, cheering on my team in the sunshine!