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releaseyourinibitions · 7 years ago

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STRANGER THINGS 2 HEADCANONS (SPOILER ALERT) - PART 1

Sooo, since I’v watched ST2, right when it came out, I just can’t stop thinking about it. And recently my mind has been wondering about what happened right after Eleven closed the gate. How was the characters reunion and all that. With that in mind, here’s how I pictured some of these moments. (This is what I have written so far, I might write a part 2 if my imagination allows me).

PS: These are my very first headcanons, so bear with me please.

> After closing the gate, Hopper and El go back up. El is too weak to walk on her own, so Hopper takes her in his arms and carries her to the car. (Think this as a parallel to the scene in S1 where Brenner is carrying El along the corridor). He leaves her there in the front seat and goes back to get Dr. Owens. Once in the car, Owens lying in the back, he and El lock eyes for a moment. I don’t know if he was sold on the idea of helping her before, but he sees this girl in front of him, this kid with mistrust in her eyes, smeared blood under her nostrils and coming from her ears, looking so tired, so exhausted; and he thinks back to when he saw Hopper passing by with her in his arms on their way back from the gate. He decides he’ll help. I mean, the guy has to have a heart, he was the only doctor who wouldn’t give up on Will.

· > Steve and his children (lol) are the first ones to get back to the house. Billy is no longer there. They decide not to tell anyone about their little excursion to the tunnels. Now, the fight with Billy, there’s no hiding from that one, because it’s written all over Steve’s face. Plus, his car is parked in the front yard, which they’ll try to explain by saying that they forced Billy to leave there because they might need it in case things went south (seemed reasonable enough to Steve). They wait impatiently for the others to come back and see if everyone is ok.

· > Hopper and El are the next ones to arrive. Hopper drove really fast, because he has to take Owens to the hospital, but he can’t take El with him. At the sound of tires and a motor, they all run outside the house to see who it is. Mike leads the way. At the sight of Hopper and El, who seems unconscious leaning against the door at the front seat, Mike rushes towards the car while concern takes over him. He stops by her side. She opens her eyes and looks at him while sitting a little straighter. His worry eases a little bit. He opens the door once she’s not supporting her weight on it anymore. “El, are you okay?”, he asks concerned. She nods and replies with her tired soft voice: “Yes.” Hopper says: “Help her out. Get her inside. I need to take this guy to the hospital”, he nods towards the back seat “and deal with things. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Take care of her until then.”, he stresses the last part with his eyes while looking straight at Mike. Mike nods in understanding already taking one of El’s arms and putting over his shoulders to help her out of the car. He closes the door and his other arm goes around her waist once she’s out. El exchanges a knowing look with Hopper before he leaves. A lot can happen because of that guy, both good and bad. Her and Mike walk towards the house; the others, who had stayed a little further back from the interaction, clear the way and follow them back inside. Steve thinks to himself: “Great! Another kid to look after. One that looks like she’s dying.” But he does acknowledge to himself that she’s the one who saved them all (even though the “hows” of that are not clear to him), so she’s not in the same category of nuisance as the other shitheads. AND… he’s a little scared of the punk-looking-with-mysterious-powers girl.

· > Once inside, Mike helps El settle down on the sofa. He stays by her side. “You sure you’re okay?” El looks at him reassuringly. “Just tired” is her reply. “I’ll grab something to clean that blood”, Dustin announces and heads to the kitchen. He comes back short after with a damp cloth and offers it. Mike is the one that takes it. He looks at El asking for permission. She smiles slightly with the corner of her mouth, just barely, and answers by raising her face a little so he has better to it. They both remember the last time they did this.

· > A little while after, El is still sitting on the sofa, her head against the backrest. She’s still tired, but less so. Mike is sitting next to her. The others are spread across the room. El looks at Steve squinting her eyes a little. “Your face”, she says, her voice is low. He looks up, unsure for a moment she’s talking to him. “What?”, he asks uncertain. “Your face.”, she repeats without much emotion. ”What happened?” ”Oh. Well, I was almost killed trying to protect that shithead over there” he points with his head towards Lucas “from that one’s psycho brother” he finishes pointing at Max. Steve prefers not to think about how he probably looks, although he’s pretty sure it must be awful, or about how he thought for a moment back then that he was going to die at the hands of Billy The Psycho. Does he have to have he’s face ruined everytime they face monsters from another dimension?

“Psycho?” El questions. “A crazy person” Mike clarifies for her. “He doesn’t want me hanging out with the boys” Max explains. Dustin continues: “Yeah, So he went after Lucas and cornered him against the wall. He was pissed! I thought ‘Shit! The son of a bitch is gonna kill him!’” Steve interrupts “Hey, language!” Dustin ignores him: “So Lucas kicked him in the balls, which made him even more pissed. But then,” he tells, already excited, because it’s good to have a story to distract them and they agreed not to tell anyone about the most exciting part of the night, − which he was totally against, but decided to let Steve, the poor guy, have that go his way – “Steve went to defend Lucas. And he was doing fine until, well, until he wasn’t, “he receives a glare from Steve at that remark “and started getting beaten up really badly. So we were all freaking out now thinking ‘Shit, shit, shit, he’s gonna kill Steve! And then he’s going to kill us!’ But then Max picked up a needle with Will’s sedatives and stuck right at her brother’s neck! Then, she got Steve’s nailed baseball bat and told him to leave us and her alone, otherwise she would take his balls out with that!” Max, Lucas and Mike raise their eyebrows at him. “That was my interpretation of it…” he shrugges. Lucas picks up: “Anyway, what he’s trying to say is that Mad Max here saved us from her psycho brother.” He smiles at Max. “Yeah, yeah, whatever…” she retorts rolling her eyes and looking the other way. But she looks a little embarrassed. El watches her. She still doesn’t like the girl, but she doesn’t dislike her as much anymore either.

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cjostrander · 8 years ago

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Aerosmith: Rock in a Hard Place

Good morning everyone! Today I was feeling interested in scratching one of Aerosmith’s most contentious and likely weakest albums in their catalog. It is an interesting one that features the band at the closest point they’ve ever been to breaking up over drug abuse and band member tension. Joe Perry left the band temporarily during the Night in the Ruts album recording and on this album Brad Whitford only handled one song before leaving as well. This album features basically just Stephen Tyler, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer as the core base. They brought in two backup guitarists to fill in as well ( Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay); so this is definitely a more bumpy yet unique album for them. Hopefully it justifies me picking it over their latest album and Permanent Vacation; but i needed an oddball album to scratch off the list and here you have it!

Jailbait: We start off this album semi quick with echoed vocals that are highly reminiscent of Billy Squier’s style of singing. It’s an interesting comparison to make right off the bat and the guitars join with the guitars to create an nice show of energy. It is a bit smothering in terms of atmosphere but i could see it coming off as an alright jam tune for a live performance. There really doesn’t seem to be much emphasis on Stephen’s lyrics since his vocals are certainly on the rushed and choppy side of things. The guitar solo is decent and brings forth a fair degree of rhythm but certainly isn’t dominant enough to develop enough catchiness to garner any real excitement on the listener’s part. It may be a nice nostalgia factor for a millennial that is curious about the more rough side of 80′s rock verses the pop keyboard stuff the era is identified by. 5/10

Lighting Strikes (Single): This single has Brad Whitford on guitars so you have that plus in store for you on this song so far. Synths begin this one off on a very unique note for them before the guitars enter with a nice degree of push. It has a mysterious atmosphere to it and the drums help to fill in the background before things begin to get too spacey. Stephen’s vocal delivery is a lot smoother than it was on the last song and the guitars manage to give him a more groovy rhythm as well. Despite not being overly energetic, it actually has a good degree of catchiness to it and is already a decent single choice for this album. It would be a decent toss in for a live show and is reminiscent of their 70′s sound with the experimental use of synths in the beginning. The lyrics seem to garner more attention as well and display a bit more melody as well due to Stephen’s more coherent vocal style. The guitar solo sticks out better with some nice melodies but dies down rather quickly for it to really make an impression on the song. Overall its an average song but still a decent filler track to come by when you are on an Aerosmith binge and have already gotten past the hits. 6.5/10

Bitch’s Brew (Single): This one begins on a more soothing and dark note with melodic vocals from Stephen Tyler and a slightly stronger rhythm section. The echo element of this album definitely takes a lot away from the music since you have to force yourself to be able to pick out whats going on in it. The instrumentals are still pretty solid and push things along decently while Stephen delivers some catchy vocal harmonies. The backing hums are a needed boost during the chorus otherwise it would sound completely flat overall. I do find the lyrics stronger on this one and the guitars do manage to grow some loudness towards the end once the solo arrives. The solo is actually pretty good and will do a nice job of getting an audience up and dancing, The drums manage to stick nicely as well and deliver some good bashing elements so that this song maintains an enjoyable rock edge to it. 6.5/10

Bolivian Ragamuffin: Interesting song title ha ha. The guitars start off with a nice bit of energy but still drag from being turned very low into the background. It incorporates an interesting blues element into it that will be reminiscent of their early 70′s hallmarks. Stephen sounds more at home with this song and infuses it with a decent showing of melody and balanced grit that would really hit home if it was turned up. This one has a good solo that actually sticks around long enough to make a good impact on this song overall. This actually should’ve been a single because it’s remarkably stronger than any of the past songs. I can already state that if there is one album that would be drastically improved with a re-recording it would be this album. This music is passable and decent at times but the production just sucks all the life away from it. Jack Douglas definitely wasn’t on the ball for this one but since Stephen Tyler and some other guy were included; odds are either Jack left or there were too many cooks in the kitchen for this album. They also surprisingly spent over 1.5 million dollars recording this album and realistically i can’t see where that money could have gone besides partying and numerous redo’s. Either way, this is the strongest song so far so if nothing else is good; pay attention to this one. 7/10

Cry Me a River (Arthur Hamilton cover): A bluesy guitar riff opens up very low in the background and Stephen takes on his gritty style of emotional drawl that he’s used on songs like You See Me Crying. The guitars manage to liven up nicely during the chorus and Stephen manages to put forth a nice degree of power into his voice. It gradually gets bumpy as it progresses but at least the guitars actually have a hint of dominance to them in the background. This one is pretty straightforward and has quite a few hit or miss marks for their 70′s fans but as far as a cover goes it fits their style overall 5.5/10

Prelude to Joanie: This is an intro track so no score here. It uses computerized vocals to give the song a futuristic ambiance to it. Stephen hums softly in the background and slowly builds this song up till the following song begins. Not much to it as expected for a minute long track but still an experimental piece on the album. 0/0

Joanie’s Butterfly: Acoustic guitars begin on a very catchy note due to Stephen’s more polished vocal melodies and backing support from his band mates. The lively acoustic riffs are a good change up on the album and luckily survive the album’s habit of being drastically turned down in the mixing. As a result it is a very feel good tune that would potentially make a successful appearance on a live show. The electric guitars further support this assessment when they enter with a nice degree of force and cause Stephen to grow more lively with his vocal delivery. The drums provide mainly a support beat so that it doesn’t sound overly empty in the background so that works out rather nicely overall for the song in order to end on a decent note. It is five and a half minutes long; so this is the longest song on the album overall. Everything else should hopefully flow by a bit quicker towards the end. 7/10

Rock in a Hard Place (Cheshire Cat): This title track begins with a catchy drum beat and some more dominant guitar riffs than expected, but as i assume would happen; it gradually fades off into the background over time. It does contain an interesting use of brass to prop up its blues foundation. Stephen does a pretty good job on vocals and yet again brings back some of his 70′s era strength. The lively blues rhythm is a smart choice for this song and the energetic drums do a stellar job of making sure this song retains its energetic foundation in the event that they ever want to play it during a live show.The solo is decent and helps place the fill-in guitarists as somewhat suitable replacements for Joe and Brad in the meantime. Realistically if i didn’t tell you that they were absent from this album; you’d easily believe that they this were their style of guitaring. Luckily the second half of the album seems to be a bit stronger production wise than the whole first half. 7/10

Jig Is Up: Guitars start this one with a very dark and gloomy blues rhythm. Stephen resorts to a much grittier style of singing in response and his tone won’t be any real break from his usual style when he takes on a rough focus. The lyrics unfortunately suffer from his overly rough demeanor on it. The backing vocals attempt to help out but end up making the matter worse overall. Luckily the instrumentals are decent enough to follow along to them while you attempt to block out Stephen’s drawn out howls. Yeah, definitely one of the weaker songs and potentially the weakest if the guitars were low in the mixing. 5/10

Push Comes to Shove: Harmonicas start out over a gritty key note and drum pattern. The bass enters with a nice groove and develops an interesting dynamic for this finale piece. Stephen continues to make it fall relatively flat with his out of flow grit and boringly low tone that causes his lyrics to be smothered at times. Luckily the chorus has a nice sense of harmony that manages to come off well due to the combination of keys and backing chants. Yeah this is another song that really only survives due to the instrumentals so if you ever listen to this album; it’s definitely one to heavily pick through. 6/10

Overall album rating: 6.2/10

Well, that was definitely a rough album to get through today. It was interesting but definitely one that i’m glad is off of my list. It turns 35 this year and the anniversary factor was a big push for me to review it today; but at least i can so far confirm it as their weakest effort due to it having the lowest score in my Aerosmith section of reviews. I’d still check it out if you are curious because just like with Done With Mirrors; it has some decent songs to check out, but overall nothing even comes close to having the strength of their highlight albums. I’m gonna head out not but hopefully you all enjoy your day and i’ll get back to you shortly.

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hucc · 6 years ago

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Hackney Umpires v Islington Lions Sunday 9th September 2018 Wray Crescent

A man decides after seventy years

That what he goes to Wray for, is to unlock the door

While those around him criticize and sleep

And through a fractal on a breaking wall

I see you my friend, and touch your face again

Miracles will happen as we play

Fixtures-wise it’s been a bit of a headache this year. Given we only play twice a month, a couple of cancellations meant the Umpires had not taken the field since beating Kent Ramblas in West Wickham at the beginning of July. (This is of course to overlook our participation in the annual London Fields 6s tournament, and let’s be honest, that was another pretty forgettable performance in a short-form cricket tournament. If ‘performance’ is not too strong a word).

So yes, two whole months since we took to the field. You had to wonder how rusty we’d be. One thing was for sure though, we wouldn’t be as rusty as the Wray Crescent park-keeper’s mower, which, judging by the length of the grass on the outfield, had also not seen the light of day for some considerable time. In fact, the only grass that had been harvested at Wray was being consumed by the footballers who reluctantly vacated the playing surface to enjoy a bit of heckling from the side. Ah Wray Crescent, it was ever thus.

Despite the rudimentary facilities there was a lot at stake: Hackney v Islington, a north London derby if you will. This being a hurriedly arranged replacement fixture, the Islington Lions were a complete unknown. Would we be savagely mauled? Could we tame the mighty King of the Jungle?

Come to mention it, why is the lion called the king of jungle when it lives out on the savannah? Hmm, good question my friend, and as you ask: jungle is a word in Hindi meaning ‘not an inhabited place’, or a wilderness. With England playing India at the Oval a little bit of Hindi seems appropriate, and what more wilderness could one possibly need than Wray Crescent?

The skipper wins another toss and opts to bat first. Anthony and Simon march out purposefully. Simon’s orange bandana protecting his urdu from his batting helmet (OK I’ll stop with that now).

We take a collective deep breath as the opening bowler runs in….and then relax: our openers are looking good, comfortably stopping the occasional straight one while getting full value from anything loose.

Simon in particular looks like he could fill his boots, while Anthony though scoring well, was struggling with a leg injury and survives a couple of half-chances, one of which was probably a three-quarters-chance, before Manny makes an early appearance for the day as umpire, raising the finger of doom in response to a strong LBW appeal. With Anthony gone for 25, Kieran joins Simon and they press relentlessly on. After 10 overs we are 99-1 and the Lions go very quiet in the field. Little do they know how thin our batting line up is: with Harry stuck on a Ryan Air flight and David otherwise detained, chief archivist MK O’Brien is in next at a vertiginous 4 and the rest of the middle order is not exactly famed for run-scoring.

Simon takes up the pipe and slippers of retirement in the 12th over having reached the pre-agreed limit of 50, but at drinks, halfway through our 30 overs, Hackney are a healthy 136-1 and Islington seem less a pride and more an embarrassment of Lions. The only star performer for the opposition thus far has been Brenda, who made a couple of brave stops and was particularly impressive at leaping over the fence to retrieve the ball.

Kieran blasts a couple of mighty 6s after drinks and retires. The opposition by now have turned to the more eclectic of their bowling options. One end sees Henn with the archetypal spasmodically-jerking octopus-falling-from-a-tree off a three-step “run” in. At the other it’s less frog-in-a-blender and more Brenda in a fog, that fog being primarily a cloud of uncertainty about the legality of her action. But any danger, such as it is, is primarily to pride and Billy has to suck that up, bowled by the rightly-feared double-bouncing straight one. A few overs later the Archivist contrives to pick out a fielder with a mow to mid-wicket and while the run rate remains healthy at 182-3 we have 8 overs left and a collapse now would see us in trouble.

David in at 6, is joined by Manny. And this seems like a good point to delve into the archives and peruse their respective batting statistics. I’m sure they won’t mind. Well they might, but what the hell I say.

Before today David had batted 11 times scoring 171 with an average of 10.90. Meanwhile in 24 appearances Manny had batted 14 times scoring 56 runs at an average of 6.38, his top score of 18 for the Umpires coming in his first ever innings against the fearsome GB Strikers, mainly, if memory serves, comprised of edges down to third man.

So, let’s face it, about as much pedigree as a tin of dog food.

After a couple of nervy looking singles they convene between overs in the middle. Standing behind the stumps umpiring it was hard to hear exactly what was being discussed. But I fancy Manny was saying something like:

We’re never gonna survive, unless:

We get a little crazy

No, we’re never gonna survive, unless:

We get a little cra-eyah-eyah-eyah-zy

What followed was one of the most joyous, exuberant and exciting passages of play that I have witnessed for the Hackney Umpires. This was, genuinely, batting that would empty the bars, if of course the pavilion at Wray Crescent was able to stretch to a bar, or indeed Wray Crescent was able to stretch to a pavilion that had not been condemned as a dangerous structure.

I know what you’re thinking. When I suggest this was ‘empty-the-bar batting’ it’s as in the bouncers at Clapham Infernos dragging you off with your trousers round your ankles because you’ve just vomited Jaeger Bomb residue down your Ben Sherman shirt. This might ring a few bells with those who have seen Manny’s batting over the years, but you couldn’t be more wrong: this was an innings to stir the emotions with no little skill and heart along the way. Yes, there were the odd ugly swipes here and there, what night at Clapham Infernos doesn’t have that? But there were times on that Wray Crescent dancefloor when Manny’s footwork shone as brightly as any batting the Umpires have seen. The ramp played it’s part, of course it did: the feint to leg, the switch of grip, the ball sailing down to fine leg. But it wasn’t just the unorthodox. There were at least two beautifully straight (lofted yes, but that was only to get over the top of the grass) full-bloodied drives, middled and timed to absolute perfection.

At the other end David played his supporting role with no less skill and selflessness. In pursuit of the maximum team score either could have tried to farm the strike to get to 50 or indeed held back on the running between the wickets to avoid being out. But no, with wickets in hand, this was positive batting for the team cause. Manny’s 44 not out takes him to exactly 100 career runs for the Umpires and a new improved average of 11.88. David’s unbeaten 41 gets him to an average of 15.00. And in 8 overs between them they hit 78 runs including 12 fours seeing us to a breathless 260-3, matching our highest total achieved in our last innings against Kent Ramblas in 5 fewer overs. Pick the bones out of that Lions.

What is the saying about a cornered lion though? Or is a tiger? Some kind of big cat anyway right? Although the outfield is slow, the boundaries are short and in village cricket, even urban-village cricket, it only takes one stout yeoman to get his eye in, the ball disappearing to all corners and the wheels can come off pretty fast.

Our youthful opening bowling pair: Billy and, new recruit Michael Brown, have the Islington openers hopping around from the start of their reply. Michael was very unlucky, several times finding the inside edge. Billy strikes in the 7th over, getting some bounce, nipping the glove, and a good take by stand-in keeper Simon. Manny meanwhile can’t stay out of the game with some excellent fielding, and he then bowls the other opener. Somehow the Lions keep going and make it to drinks without further losses, and at the final interval the game remains alive with Islington 120-2 and wickets in reserve.

The run rate though was creeping ominously up to over 9 an over. So there’s pressure on the batting side. David Dawkins takes the first over after drinks: it’s a maiden and the run rate is now exactly 10. Brilliant bowling by David, which gets its reward the very first ball of the next over, as slow-left-arm snaffles their top scoring batsman for 47, caught in the slips by the ever reliable hands of Anthony.

And if we were favourites up to that point we dominated after that. Any time Kieran only bowls 2 overs means we’ve either done very well or very badly. There was some excellent fielding along the way from Michael and from Kannan, while Billy was fizzing the ball unerringly over the stumps from the deep. We also had a few moments of high comedy, perhaps as we started to get a bit tired.

David takes a wicket in his final over and his 6 overs 1 for 24 in a high scoring game made a big difference. Michael also returned for a second spell deservedly getting a wicket, Manny, inevitably, taking the catch. The opposition tail-enders seemed intent on playing out the overs, but this became a procession long before the end with Islington eventually 71 runs adrift on 189-6.

5 matches completed in 2018. 3 wins, a draw and a loss (and we should never ever have lost that one either). With one fixture remaining this was a confidence-boosting victory against fun opposition. With all due respect to the opposition (and I acknowledge starting a sentence ‘with all due respect’ is usually the precursor to the exact opposite) but with all due respect bla bla bla we made them look pretty rubbish at times, and occasionally they did it to themselves without our help. We will need to up our game against London Fields on Sunday.

Despite his injury Anthony stuck it out and confidently steered us to a 5th victory in 11 games as skipper. Michael had a great debut performing brilliantly in the field. Kieran and Simon were way above anything Islington had to offer in terms of batting quality. But the true performances of the day were David with bat and ball and Manny with just about everything he did, edging David out for the man of the match award.

HUCC 260-3 (S Griffin 51*; K Kumaria50*; M Hawks 44*; D Dawkins 41*)

Islington Lions 189-6 (M O’Brien 2/50; D Dawkins 1/24)

Hackney Umpires win by 71 runs. Man of the match Manny 'Crazy' Hawks.

Up the Umpires!

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theperfectloveproject · 8 years ago

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Prelude to the Perfect Love: 4: Resiliency

“Be brave enough to accept that some situations will have tough beginnings, but be have the confidence to know that you will overcome them all; every, single, time.”

-Matthew Sloane

During my freshman year of college, my English professor compared resiliency to the bouncy ball often found in machines in the front of grocery stores for 25 cents. That ball is very durable; and no matter how hard you bounce it on the ground, and how high in the air the ball goes, it is a guarantee that the ball is coming back down; so in a nutshell, resiliency is the art of bouncing back.

There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t find time to sit and think on how I wish this life that I’m living were taking place in a utopian society, where everything is perfect, and I don’t have anything to worry about; but unfortunately, that is not the case.

We all live a life that at times feels like an uphill climb; and during that climb, there are moments where we feel like “to hell with this”, and we just want to let go and fall. That very feeling is what intrigues me about life the most; knowing that the pressure is on, and that it’s up to me and my faith to weather the storm of whatever troubling situation I find myself in. In the words of legendary tennis player Billie Jean King, “Pressure is a privilege”, and to accommodate the privilege of pressure, is the privilege of competition; fighting your way out of that situation, in order to come out of it looking like a resilient darling.

Baseball is a sport that is near and dear to my heart (LET’S GO METS) and ever so often, I find myself comparing life to a game of baseball. Everyone may not be a fan of baseball, but everyone knows the common rule, 3 strikes you’re out; and that is the exact analogy I will use as my reference point in regards to resiliency.

Picture yourself coming up to the plate, ready to hit the game winning home run. The pitcher is ready to pitch, and you are ready to swing.

As the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand, everything seems fine. The pitch seems as if it’s coming right down the middle, and you’re about to get that big hit That you’re searching for. You take your swing, and you miss the Ball terribly.

STRIKE 1.

That first pitch was a curveball. Designed to draw the hitter off balance; starts high, and out of nowhere, the ball all of a sudden drops. This curveball however, is symbolic of the the unexpected fear that is kept in the depths of your heart. Rather it be divorce, the untimely death of a loved one, disease, or a friendship turned sour; the curveball represents this all.

Living a happy life is something that is desired by most, so when trouble comes in the form of any of those things previously listed, panic sets in.

Unfamiliarity is uncomfortable to say the least; so finding yourself in a situation that you’ve never been in before, feeling emotions that you’ve never felt before; you now find yourself in a All out dogfight with your own emotions; hoping and praying that they don’t overcome you;but in the midst of your life being turned upside down, no matter how bad of a mental state that you’re in, you have to keep going in order to obtain the big payoff at the end.

The Game Continues……….

As the pitcher gets set to throw his next pitch, he’s well aware that the curveball he last threw has intimidated you; and now doubt, fear, and worry, all consume your mind now. Working off of your emotions, the pitcher throws his next pitch. Leaving his hand at an alarming rate, the ball zooms to the plate; as you swing and miss, again.

Strike 2..

This pitch was a fastball, thrown right down the middle of the plate. A fastball, unlike a curveball, is a pitch that isn’t designed to throw the hitter off balance. It’s a pitch that comes right at you. The fastball is symbolic of additional pressure, that seemingly makes the adversity you’re already faced with more worse.

Whether you’re a student, or you punch a clock at a job every day; once trouble finds it’s way into your life, it becomes difficult to solely focus on those task.

Speaking from personal experience, when unfamiliar trouble finds it’s way into my life, my schoolwork is the LAST thing on my mind. Having the pressure on me to try an cope with the troubles in my life, while trying to turn in good quality work on a consistent basis always seems to overwhelm me; and I find myself with the “this is too much” thought running all through my mind; but remember Pressure is a Privilege, and that’s the beauty of this all. Even though I’ve fallen behind in my work, I still have that option on the table to fight back, and become the victor.

Unlike most American sports such as football and basketball, baseball is a game that has no halftime; but there are timeouts. A timeout can be called during an at-bat, and although there isn’t much time given in a baseball timeout, there’s just enough time to gather your thoughts; and since we’re down 2 strikes, now would be a great time to call timeout.

Timeout.

During this time, you assess the first two pitches you’ve seen; the curveball, which knocked you off balance, and turned your world upside down; and the fastball, which sped right past you, and in essence, added insult to injury. The curveball really was a shocker, but with the fastball, you took a swing out of pure emotion; not even thinking about what’s really going on. You’re filled with anger, and anger doesn’t do anything but fill your mental vision up with smoke; and once you’ve come to that realization, and calmed down, the smoke clears, and you’re ready continue with the game.

Crunch Time.

As the Pitchers winds up to throw his next pitch, unbeknownst to him, things are drastically different now. He thinks that your are still distraught over the fact you’re one strike away from losing this game; but little does he know, during that timeout, you accepted the fact that life doesn’t have a rewind button, and you can’t get those 2 strikes back; but what you can do is pick yourself up from off the floor, fight back, and get that home run hit that your heart desires so much.

As the ball leaves the hand of the pitcher, everything is moving in slow motion. You’re more patient now. You’re unbothered at the fact that the situation started off ugly for you.

Once the ball has finally made it’s way to the plate, you take your swing; and this time, you make contact with the ball; sending it into opposite field, into the crowd. HOME RUN! GAME OVER! YOU WIN!

Post Game Thoughts

The home run is symbolic of resilience. The home run is resiliency personified. Things started off rough, but you got through it. You started off with 2 strikes, saw your life flash before your very eyes, and thought life was coming to an end; but somewhere in between of all of that, you found a resolve, paced yourself, and got that home run hit that you were so hell bent on getting.

Resiliency is a vital part in the making of the perfect because,it is the very foundation that character is built on. There isn’t a man or woman on this earth with good sense who wants to be in a relationship with someone who isn’t willing to fight for them; someone who chooses to lie down, when they had the option to stand up when trouble comes. The ideal person with good sense wants to be with someone who does the exact opposite; someone who IS willing to fight for them, and someone who IS willing to brave the elements of a storm when trouble arrives.

Resiliency is truly a tough thing to grasp. Trust me, I know; so to whoever may read this, and maybe lacking in that department, I pray for you strength, guidance, and will power; all in efforts that you find resiliency in your battle of getting whatever it may be that your heart truly desires.

All Love,

Matthew Sloane

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