Possibilities are endless

Iwas jogging past my old Little League diamond on a warm Saturday afternoon a few weeks ago and it brought a smile to my face. The smell of fresh cut grass was in the air. Little tykes with black numbers pinned on the back of their brightly colored shirts sat next to each other, neat and nervous, in the first base dugout as they waited their turn to try out.

Coaches with clipboards were grading each valiant attempt to catch a fly ball or grounder. Parents sat with fingers, toes, and other body parts crossed in hopes their son or daughter would fare well. New careers were beginning.

The snack bar was open, well-stocked with hot dogs, sunflower seeds, and red licorice. The whole scene signified the beginning of something traditional and fabulous. It was full of possibilities.

Possibilities. They provide us with hope in the dark times and offer us inspiration to do even more when things are going well. They are the simple everyday events that give life flavor.

Quiet daily happenings can whisper that something interesting and good might just happen: The smell of a home-cooked meal when you walk in the door at the end of a hard day at work or school. That “new car smell.” The balloon arch at the beginning of a race. A freshly printed airline boarding pass. The release of your favorite team’s schedule. A new gym membership. An unexpected box on your front porch and the rumble of the delivery truck as they drive off. A walk through the garden section at a home improvement store in spring. A new “For Sale” sign on a front lawn, a puppy or kitten, white blossoms on the trees, the first hints of yellow and orange on leaves in September, travel websites, and seeing “pay to the order” through the address pane on an envelope sent to you. Possibilities.

No matter their age, most folks are intrigued at what might happen as they gaze at a Christmas tree ringed in presents. 12:01 a.m. on New Year’s Day opens up a whole year of potential. On a more longterm level, birth notices, engagement announcements, a wedding invitation in the mail all symbolize there are adventures and challenges ahead. An obituary qualifies too, depending on your view of the afterlife.

Sit in on a local high school graduation and you’ll actually feel that the air in the arena is vibrating with possibilities. The “what might be” for those young men and women is thrilling.

Roll down your window as you drive through one of the housing subdivisions under construction in town and smell the fresh wood being used to frame the homes. Take a look at the new park, green and wide deep, with new playground equipment and benches and barbecues. Imagine the possibilities: picnics, birthday parties, soccer games, touch football on Thanksgiving, families with folding chairs and blankets watching the fireworks exploding in the sky above Lodi Lake on the Fourth of July. And don’t forget the U.S. Navy’s fleet week there during the rainy season.

The turmoil here and abroad can easily lead us to toss in the towel and become cynical. But before you do that, take a second, smell the fresh cut lawn, look to the youngsters waiting to try out, and realize there are more possibilities out there than you think. You might have to slow down a bit and adjust your point of view so see them. They’re out there if you look for them. Each sunrise reminds you of that. Enjoy them. Possibilities.