Last week, Duncan and I were all set to spend Friday night at Greer Stadium watching our Nashville Sounds (baseball club) open up the 2008 season with their first home game.  All we had talked about for the previous two weeks was that opening night - who would smack the first homerun, who would be first on base, who would be first to score; not to mention talk about our favorite fare - ballpark food: hotdogs, popcorn, and peanuts!  You see, from the first weekend in February until mid April there is very little sports excitement around our house (the highlight of those 11 weeks was when the season ticket order form for Vanderbilt football came in the mail); so we were foaming at the mouth to get to the ballpark.  Alas, it was not meant to be.

From the dawn of the day until the early afternoon, the heavens were dark with clouds and falling torrents of rain.  It was so bad that the game was postponed until Saturday (of course we already had plans for Saturday) - no baseball Friday night.  Needless to say, we were despondent and depressed - Duncan more than me and I was really depressed (after a full day of nasty weather, the evening was beautiful).  So what is a dad to do?  While I love going to the ballpark and watching the game and eating ballpark food my real joy in going to the ballpark is getting to hang out with my 10 year old son, and I was reminded that night that I didn't need the ballpark to accomplish that goal.

Instead of going to the baseball game last Friday night, Duncan and I went to BW3s and had a hot wings eating contest.  We ordered wings starting at the hot category and then on into the blazzing, flaming, and suicidal ranges.  Luckily we were parked in the back corner of the dining room and very few people could see the watery eyes and runny noses as we dared, doubled dared, and double-dogged-dared each other to eat one more wing hotter than the last.  Afterwards we cruised through the countryside around our house looking for deer.  Later at home we watched wrestling on TV and then had our own match in the family room bouncing off the living room furniture (luckily the girls were not home).  After saying our bedtime prayers and laying there in Duncan's bed staring at the ceiling, Duncan said in a sleepy, groggy voice as he slipped off into a dream, "Dad, tonight was a lot of fun."

Dads there are enough disappointments in life waiting for our sons (and daughters), I challenge you to take the lemons that life throws at you and make lemonade.  Squeeze every last ounce out of each of those situations and realize it's you that your children desire - not the baseball games, toys, and/or stuff that we so often try to give them.