Sunday Reads IV: Seasonal Nostalgia, Meaningful Numerals and the Day Life Began

I’m in the midst of some of my favorite sounds of summer as I write this.

I’m in the press box at Sims Legion Park in Gastonia on a Saturday night. I’m covering a pair of Coastal Plain League games. It’s an odd doubleheader: Game 1 was a continuation of a game suspended by rain in the second inning, in another city, 10 days ago.

By the time the Gastonia Grizzlies and Martinsville Mustangs finished that game – a 12-3 Grizzlies victory – it was 10 p.m., and many kids still ran around the park on a steamy summer night with little reason for an early bedtime.

The CPL is a summer league for college players, with a rich history and wooden bats. What a dream it would be to spend a summer on one of these teams, living with host families and playing in historic ballparks.

The crack of the bat will be just one of the sounds of summer I’ve come to love.

So too, the sounds of home and visiting radio broadcasts, side by side trying not to say what the other guy says. Just now, the sound of Thomas Yoder’s bat cracking a monstrous solo home run sailed out to the cheers of the faithful crowd who stuck around.

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Inspired by Powerpig’s Evolution

7 Simple Nostalgic Sounds of Summer

Corey, Nostalgia Diaries

For me, more sounds of summer include the ripping of a soccer ball swirling backward in a net after one of my girls shoots it. It’s the ching of golf disc catchers and more often, the clank! of me hitting the catcher and missing the shot.

We’d spend weekends on the beaches of South Carolina, running up and down their sun-drenched shores, hearing the crunch of tiny shells under our feet as we tried to make our rainbow-colored kites take flight. – Corey

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Onward to the Next Half Year!

Grubbs & Critters

My next sprint, I hope, will be through writing and reading posts to get ahead, and start writing on the side for a new business venture, called Word Count Unlimited. Not too much to ask, right?

All I’m seeing is a murky terrain, blurry headlights and not the tiniest flagpole in sight. Perhaps I should just be reading tea leaves instead; I hear they could give a rather accurate fortune telling.

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Week 27: By the Numbers | Everyday Nostalgia

Corey, Nostalgia Diaries

My numbers: three daughters, one fulfilling, challenging job, 1,323 blog posts in my head, and probably triple that questions from my girls. One salad down for today, and two soccer sessions tonight, 134,091 emails unanswered, and one thing at a time.

One day, when she is old enough to understand better, I will tell Zoey that the numbers of her life—no matter what they add up to—will never be too much. That they will always be enough. That she will always be enough. – Corey

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Journey Into The Unknown

Trish, The Trish List

I would have predicted Trish would have found renewed resolve from the last post I read from her. There was a determination. I believe she has the momentum she needed now, and I look forward to reading more about her journey.

I know deep down what I want to be doing, but I have many things blocking my success right now and the self care items I am practicing for July (and everyday after) are going to help me get back on track. – Trish

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Stop Making These Word Choice Errors Once and For All

Stefanie Flaxman, Copy Blogger

Sometimes we need the nuts and bolts about reading and writing. Stefanie is a favorite for this sort of thing. One thing that isn’t a word choice, but bugs the hell out of me? When people spell lightning as lightening. Glad I’ve got that off my chest.

Write the correct words the first time, and you’ll spend less time editing later. – Stefanie

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A Moment That Changed My Life: Becoming Dad

Eli, Coach Daddy (on Day Sixty Five)

Jess asked me to write a post about a moment that changed my life. Way ahead of the Broncos winning a Super Bowl and finding out that two of my loves – Connie Britton and Carla Gugino are best friends – comes the moment I became a father.

I’m imperfect for this role, as father, and wholly indebted for the transformation it has made in me, as a writer, a man, a coach, and just a person. – Eli

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