Yesterday I was playing 'catch,' or in other words throwing a baseball, with a friend of mine. We were on the Columbia campus and it was a lovely day and everything was just wonderful. And then the unthinkable happened.
Our beloved baseball rolled under a ramp and was stuck beyond our grasp. After regaining my composure, I cried out, "I will come back for you! Just wait! I promise I'll return!" At this point it was getting dark, and the harsh mid-March New York winter was bearing down on us and we had no choice but to make our way home.
That night it easily went down to 40 degrees, and all I could think of was the ball. I couldn't sleep, tossing and turning, thinking of the ball . Then came rosy fingered dawn, and it was time to rescue the ball.
I went to the forest to retrieve a suitable instrument for extracting my lonely friend...
The plentiful arsenal from which I took my stick
The mighty stick - too large to behold in all its majesty
The stick served beautifully as a walking stick, which comes in handy while trekking the tumultuous terrain of Riverside Drive
After what must have been 10 minutes of walking, I finally made it back to Columbia.
Gettin closer...I made it to the dreaded ramp, under which my the ball had spent the entire night alone.
It was going to be all right...or was it? Find out next time, when we continue this epic adventure!
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PART II
Welcome back! When we last left off, the hero, myself, was about to attempt a daring rescue of a baseball, which had become stuck under a handicap access ramp.
I took a deep breath, told myself 3 times it was going to be okay, and then proceeded.
Hold on! I'm coming!
After what must have been 1 minute, I was able to skillfully slide the ball out from under the ramp. I do remember some people oddly staring at me, but they didn't understand what I had been through.
The recently freed ball
The walk back was interesting and itchy. I eventually made it back to the forest, where I could return the stick to his home. I heartily thanked him and had to hold back my emotion.
Goodbye, Stick! (sniff sniff)
And so now the ball and I will be able to once more play 'catch,' or in other words throw a baseball.
Welcome home!