Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Lets play ball...

As someone who loves baseball, I get offended when people say that baseball is not a "real" sport. Haters say this because of the pace of the game, they think it is boring and long, but if you really pay attention, it really is not. At least not to me.

Baseball is a probability sport; it is all about how well you performed in the past and how you are supposed to perform in the future. Some players get teams to take expensive chances on them. There numbers might not be that good, but someone on the team got a gut feeling about a player and decides to take a chance. Sometimes it pays off, and sometimes it does not. But watching if it does or not it is where the fun and excitement lays. 

Much like life right???

The baseball season is a long one, from April through September and even longer because of spring training. Then there are the winter leagues, but we will not get into that now, that is whole other post.

But the point is, if you are baseball fan you probably are because you grew up with someone in your family being enthusiastic about it or you played as a kid and this brings back so many memories or comadrarie and of family.

For me it was my father. Anyone that knows my dad knows he is crazy with baseball and especially with the Dominican players. As a kid, I would sit down with my dad and watch games. My brothers would watch too, so I felt like one of the "guys", it was very exciting for me. As I got older, I learned about statistics, pitch counts, the rules and I became even more fascinated.

Now as an adult, when I sit home alone and watch a game from start to finish I remember my father and if it is the Red Sox or Mets playing there is a very high probability that my father is watching it too, all the way from the Dominican Republic. It makes me happy to know that from thousands of miles away I am bonding with my father.

Thank you papi, for showing me the passion and dedication it takes to be a baseball fan, even if sometimes we are just cheering for the Dominican players :)

Ohh yeah, I almost forgot, LET’S GO METS!!!

Friday, April 16, 2010

Everything happens for a reason...

A couple of months ago I went through one of the hardest periods in my life. It was a moment in which many of us find ourselves from time to time. Situations where you ask yourself, why me? Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this? I think it’s only natural to ask what you did wrong when life sucker punches you.

This got me to think about when bad things happen, your family and friends will try to console you with cliché phrases. In hindsight, I can look back at these moments and smile, because they were absolutely right, but back then this is what I thought :)

Everything happens for a reason...
 THEN
 What freaking possible reason can there be for me not wanting to eat, and cry all the time?
 NOW
 What was the reason? I lost those last annoying pounds :) Fabulous!!!

Time will tell...
THEN
 Time will tell what? That everything I thought I knew wasn’t true?
NOW 
 Time did tell me that I never really knew anything.

When one door closes, another one opens...
THEN
 I do not want the damn door to close! I have worked hard to keep that damn door propped open!
NOW 
 Now it is like OMG, I should have jumped out the damn window!

And my absolute favorite you are fabulous! It was good to hear it then and it’s still good to hear it now.

So what is the moral of this story?

Please do not smack your friend/cousin/co-worker upside the head when they are telling you something positive or rational in your moment of despair. Yes, it hurts! It hurts a lot, but always remember that everything happens for a reason, time will tell, when one door closes another one opens and you are absolutely fabulous :)

Finally, I would like to leave you with these words from Conan O’Brien from his last appearance on The Tonight Show. These lines get at the exact sentiment of what I am trying to convey.

"Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But, if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen”.

Be kind and work hard people, and the rest will follow :)

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Lace and Fondant Dreams

I wish I could say NO to the dress!! I am obsessed with wedding shows. Shows about wedding cakes, wedding dresses, wedding flowers, wedding receptions, platinum weddings, broke weddings, bridezillas. The list is exhausting. I have officially overdosed on lace and fondant.

According to divorcestatistics.org, 45% to 50% of marriages in the United States end in divorce. So why is that shows like these exist?!?! Well its because of gullible people like myself :( or let me say gullible women. You don’t see John and Steve plopped in front of the TV on a Sunday watching a Platinum Weddings marathon. No, it’s only women and a few of our fabulous gay friends who succumb to the powers of David Tutera.

On the surface, this can be explained by the fact that women just love romance, we love fairy takes and happy endings. But some of my married friends have already found happy endings and they still watch these shows. So what is it then? What is the appeal?

It is because since we were little girls, our parents, television and society have conditioned us to wait for the one man that will sweep us of our feet, marry us and who we can live happily ever after with. Heck, I am a smart girl, I should know better, but I even believe this nonsense!

I am not engaged; I don’t even have a boyfriend! But I still sit in front of the TV and watch Say Yes to the Dress (my favorite) for hours. I love to watch the faces of the brides as they try on countless dresses and try to find the “one”.

Sound familiar girls??

Not matter your shape, your height or your weight, there is a wedding dress for every woman, like there is someone for everyone.

Any woman looks good in a wedding dress, because the beauty is not in the dress; it is in their smiles. A smile that is full of hope, and full of excitement. Enjoy your moment honey! Hopefully you will not be divorced in five years.

But if you are, its OK, you will always have this moment. This moment of when everything was good, beautiful and nice.

And frankly, so will I…

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Never lose hope...

I have always been a big believer of hope, and of never losing hope.   But what do you do when you and those around you feel hopeless?  How do you help those who need help and most importantly how do you help yourself?

Even those that are not spiritual or religious will advise you to put your trust in God, the spirits, saints, or prayer.  Giving up control and relying on hope can give us a sense of relief as we wait for things to work out for the best.

At this point, when my family is going through one of the hardest things we have had to go through, I am going to place my hope back on them.  My family is like your typical family, we are far from perfect and there are a lot of holes and cracks in some of our relationships.  I want to believe that our collective strength will help us get through this.  I hope we can find comfort, strength and hope in each other.

I hope we use this time of grieving to come closer together and while the holes and cracks will not disappear, I hope that they at least become a little less noticeable.

Friends, please appreciate your family and those who are dear to you.  Say that kind word to someone in need, reach out and be good and just to one another. Hopefully when you find yourself in a moment of grief, you can be at peace with yourself and those you love.

I have said this before and will say it again… The power of love is amazing!  If we just take a moment and think about what is really important, we can come along way. 

And whatever you do, never lose hope.  In the end that’s all we ever really have.