…turn and face the strange.
David Bowie — 1971
We all have to change, whether we want to or not. Tomorrow won’t be the same as yesterday. So right now, before I lose my courage, I will admit to the world, I have changed. I have become (at least a little bit) a fan of the Chicago National League Baseball Club, also know as “The Chicago Cubs.” Now I know, some of you will hate me for this, call me names, a traitor, a bandwagon jumper. But it really has been fun, watching these guys play the last few days. I have struggled so much with this spiritual transformation that I watched Monday’s Game 3 wearing a White Sox Tee shirt, and Tuesday’s clincher wearing a Blackhawks one. So far I don’t own any Cubs paraphernalia but by World Series time I may feel the urge to go and buy a Kris Bryant bobble head doll.
Of course this is not the only time I have changed my mind. I don’t like to think of myself as a flip-flopper, but as Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote “foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” (For those of you keeping score, this is my first and probably last RWE quotation.) Other times I have done a full 180, remote or recent, include:
- “I love living in the city.” I love my wife, suburbs here we come.
- “I will never have a dog.” First 12 years of Murphy, now about the same with Max. At least we still have cat #5, even if I can’t remember her name.
- “WDRV is the best radio station around.” I was a big fan of this classic rocker until the “AC/DC,Van Halen, Aerosmith” sound took over the playlist. Too much macho. Now I settle in with ‘XRT. They even play some new music!
- “Golf is a great way to spend a summer day.” The worst day of my golf career? The day the heads snapped off of two of my clubs on the driving range. The best day of my golf career? The day after I broke those clubs and gave up the game forever. One day later my passion for tennis was born. Not even a broken racket has stopped that one… yet.
- “Game of Thrones? I don’t like fantasy shows.” Can’t wait for next season to begin.
- “Walking Dead? I don’t like zombie shows.” OK, I was wrong about this one too. Same for Breaking Bad.
- “Woody Allen makes great movies.” Irrational Man. End of subject.
- And finally, “Moving now and building a new house is the most insane thing we could possibly do.” Oops.
May all your changes be for the best.
Follow our blogs now at new location. Latest post is at
http://www.chicagonow.com/downsize-maybe/2016/01/why-did-my-cat-dump-me/
downsizemaybe 