Florida is one of those unique magical places that can be overcast, 67°, and you’ll still want to spend it outside. Just be careful; you might still get a sunburn.
Spring in Florida can be weird. One minute it’s ninety degrees outside, and you should bring an extra shirt because you’ve sweat through your first one walking from your car to the office, to a day where you’ll never see the sun and the wind will rip right through you as if it’s trying to steal your soul. Those cooler days are what we Florida natives live for. Forget the sun and heat. We don’t enjoy stepping outside where the sun feels like it’s melting off your skin, and being naked feels like you’re wearing too much clothes. Now we want the days when you can wear shorts, a thin long-sleeve shirt, and flip-flops. Actually, I think most of us live in flip-flops, and it gets confusing when we have to wear closed-toed shoes for no professional reasons.
Sunday was a perfect day for baseball. When you stepped outside, it looked like rain. There was a cool breeze, and the sun wasn’t overbearing. The rest of the country might have groaned at the weather, but we were thankful for a break from the sweltering heat.
My husband grabbed my daughter’s hoodie as I tried to find a jacket that would fit my very large four-month-old. I didn’t think we’d have to tell our oldest to grab a jacket because he lives in his hoodie, even when it’s nearly 100° out. So, of course, when we got to the baseball stadium, he looked at me and asked, “where’s my jacket?” But thankfully, he didn’t need it. He was too busy running around like a madman with the rest of his teammates to even know if he was chilly or not.
All the parents sat together, drinking beer and munching on hot dogs and the most delicious Philly Cheese Steak nachos. We watched as the oldest boys ran around trying to catch foul balls or entice the pitchers warming up in the outfield to throw them a ball or sign an autograph or two. But what I thought was funny was how repeatedly we kept commenting on how perfect the weather was and how everyone enjoyed being outside.
I don’t think it mattered that there was a spring training game going on. Yes, there were times when the boys would sit down and watch the game, but they were too busy having fun. It was great to see kids being kids and being outside away from electronics. My daughter asked if she could go to the small field, and we said sure. Not only could we see the field, but my husband purposely picked her brightest pink hoodie. That way, we could spot her in a crowd. So as we talked, drank, and ate, we watched this pink wosh roll down the green “hill.”
For three hours, the kids were independent of their parents. We could still watch them. All the boys wore their bright green jerseys. It was fun to see the sea of green floating around.
Once the last call for alcohol came across the jumbo screen, the adults groaned. We weren’t ready for this beautiful day to end. Some discussed going to the tiki bar in someone’s community, while others talked about completing the errands they had avoided while enjoying this break from life. My husband and I admitted that although we wanted to go to the tiki bar, our youngest was done for the day, and it was time to go home.
On the drive home, my daughter was rambling on with her brother. They were talking about everything that happened, everything but baseball. While engulfed in their conversation, my husband flicked on the windshield wipers. The rain that we so desperately needed was finally starting to fall. But I could only think how happy I was that the rain waited until after the game. I guess the universe knew we needed the day to enjoy getting a little bit of pink on our cheeks.
