Field of (Hoop) Dreams

The park that is near our home is actually part of the property of an Elementary school.  The school is on the southwest of the property, and there are two different playgrounds, one to the east and one to the north of the school's buildings.  Then there are four tennis courts to the east of the eastern playground, a couple of baseball diamonds and large grassy areas that are to the north and northwest of the tennis courts.  The grassy areas are alternately used for soccer, lacrosse, rugby, football and another game that looks similar to cricket, but it's not cricket.  Anyway, along the northern border of these grassy areas, where the school property ends, there is a long row of chain-link fence that divide the school property from the residential houses of our neighborhood.

During one of our trips to the school's playground(s), Luke and Adam were chasing each other and playing around when something grabbed Luke's attention.  Just on the other side of the chain-link fence, clearly viewable from the fields of the school, was a huge (to his perspective) basketball court.

 

And it called to him.  And he obeyed it's beckoning. 

Like a starving man to food, or a thirsty man to water, Luke went directly to the gate of the fence, just aching to play basketball on a real (albeit half) court.

I could almost hear the angelic-heavenly music that was no doubt playing in his mind as he walked over to the gate.

He tried and tried to get that gate to open.  Without success.  The gate was locked.  (Not that we would've let him go into someone else's yard had it been open...)  It was just funny how the look of excitement on his face had changed to disappointment and dejection.  after it was clear he could not get through the gate, he leaned his forehead on the fence for a bit before giving up and rejoining the chasing games that Adam and Audrey were playing.

But, as he walked (rather sulkily) across the grass towards Adam and Audrey, something else caught his eye.  It was another chain-link fence.  But this one was a lot taller and sorta funny shaped.

It, too, called to him.  It's call was just as profound and just as demanding - he was pulled to it like a magnet. 

He stood at this new fence for a long time, unable to tear his eyes off of the field that lay just on the other side of the fence.

After awhile of what seemed to be fairly intense daydreaming of his future of sliding into home plate, or pitching no-hit innings, or being an enviable catcher... or all of the above...

he walked around the bend in the fencing and stood there for another long while.  No doubt, this slightly different view held further visions of hitting home runs and stealing bases.


Finally he was pulled out of his sports fantasizing and was thrust into the real world - where he is still a little...

well he's still a little little. 

I tried to explain to him that we needed to teach him some of the basics first and that, maybe in a few years he'd be big enough to play an actual game of baseball...

and basketball on a real court, too.

He didn't really want to believe it... but something in my words rang true and he knew that I was right.

 

At first he was none too pleased about it.

But then he seemed to buck up a bit and walked off with purpose in his step... looking determined to remember the feelings he'd felt at both of those chain-link fences today and make those daydreams come true.

And we hope all of his dreams come true... or at least most of them!