Article: The Old Man and the Wall

[AJPettersen]

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php/2780-The-Old-Man-and-the-Wall

[brvama]

AJ, your writing completely engulfs me. Superbly written, but even better the message of life from such a young man. Many search high and low for that endless chase of happiness at the end of the rainbow, only to find it has been there in front of them all along. Your words and message are so well written and spot on that I am forwarding this to my young adult children. I truly hope you find your dream in the big leagues, but I am confident that you will never regret your journey. Yes, life is a journey, not a destination. Thank you and may you have a great season.

[John Bonnes]

New Years and new changes lend themselves to contemplation. You do a nice job of capturing some pretty slippery feelings and thoughts.

[USNMCPO]

AJ, you are a gifted and thought provoking young man. Well done, Sir.

[zchrz]

Great read these pieces are awesome.

 

This reminds me of a Alan Watts line of thought. Any journey in life is like a piece of music, one doesn't listen to music for just the end note, the real enjoyment and artistry comes from the entire song and how each note interacts with all the others.

[ashbury]

AJ, if I draw parallels to Jim Bouton, I hope you don't take it to mean you should learn to throw a knuckleball.

[Squirrel]

Another one out of the park.

[Oldgoat_MN]

Very thoughtful. Useful to anyone who reads it.

 

Thanks again, AJ.

[Seth Stohs]

Just excellent as always. It's great to see that AJ's writing is really getting some great feedback.

[Mike Sixel]

Great article. This country (and many) are driven to achieve, not to enjoy the journey. I hope you get a chance to enjoy the journey more. I hope you get to live in the moment, not always looking to the future and what it will bring. Life is too interesting, imo, to worry only about the goal, and not the journey.

[DAM DC Twins Fans]

Outstanding article AJ. I enjoy reading you here on Twins Daily. I hope in the near future you will be writing here as a member of the Twins.

[slash129]

Great piece, AJ. Love the burnt wood anecdote. Good luck and enjoy your 2014 baseball season.

[jimbo92107]

AJ, after reading this, I'd like to meet you just to shake your hand for this perceptive essay. It's so true that we can miss much of the experience of life, as we do so many things by habit and training. I know exactly what the old man at the park was doing. He was experiencing the sweet purity of throwing a baseball, the feel of nice mechanics and rhythm produce a satisfying whack against the old wall.

 

'You can beat the wall, but you cannot defeat the wall,' I sometimes say to myself as I hit a couple hundred easy slice backhands against a wall on some dreary summer day. The experience is the endless pursuit of perfect synchronization with the forces that exist around us. The hand produces an easy flip, the ball sails through the air just so. It hits the wall in exactly the right spot, then returns to you for the next one. It is a blissful to perform this ritual, whether or not it helps you win something.

 

Is that why some baseball players love to practice?

[AJPettersen]

AJ, your writing completely engulfs me. Superbly written, but even better the message of life from such a young man. Many search high and low for that endless chase of happiness at the end of the rainbow, only to find it has been there in front of them all along. Your words and message are so well written and spot on that I am forwarding this to my young adult children. I truly hope you find your dream in the big leagues, but I am confident that you will never regret your journey. Yes, life is a journey, not a destination. Thank you and may you have a great season.

 

Thanks for reading, I'm glad you enjoyed it. The reason I write stories like this are for people to chew on and think about. There are so many things in life that we all struggle with and we shrug them off or don't even realize it. Being consistently present is a difficult one for myself and for many others. Thank you for the well wishes!

[AJPettersen]

New Years and new changes lend themselves to contemplation. You do a nice job of capturing some pretty slippery feelings and thoughts.

 

Thanks John. And thanks for a platform where I can share my thoughts.

[AJPettersen]

AJ, if I draw parallels to Jim Bouton, I hope you don't take it to mean you should learn to throw a knuckleball.

 

Well...my 82 mph fastball probably isn't going to cut it.

[AJPettersen]

AJ, after reading this, I'd like to meet you just to shake your hand for this perceptive essay. It's so true that we can miss much of the experience of life, as we do so many things by habit and training. I know exactly what the old man at the park was doing. He was experiencing the sweet purity of throwing a baseball, the feel of nice mechanics and rhythm produce a satisfying whack against the old wall.

 

'You can beat the wall, but you cannot defeat the wall,' I sometimes say to myself as I hit a couple hundred easy slice backhands against a wall on some dreary summer day. The experience is the endless pursuit of perfect synchronization with the forces that exist around us. The hand produces an easy flip, the ball sails through the air just so. It hits the wall in exactly the right spot, then returns to you for the next one. It is a blissful to perform this ritual, whether or not it helps you win something.

 

Is that why some baseball players love to practice?

 

I will take you up on the hand shaking. In fact, if we are ever in the same town, I'm always up for coffee or lunch. Sounds like you have a great perspective. I find the same bliss at times while practicing baseball.

[DocBauer]

Reading this, upon many reflections of my own life philosophies, I was instantly reminded of a surprisingly nice though but breezy day last week when my 14yo son asked me to play catch. This time with glove and ball rather than a football.

 

And as we joyously did so, I was reminded of two things. I remembered time after time of playing catch with my own father, often under street lights, and the movie Field of Dreams when Costner spoke of refusing to play catch with his father. I know the latter is a drama, but how real it must be for some.

 

Thank you AJ for your sharing. You write beautifully and share honestly. Without knowing you, but speculating the type of man you appear to be, I not only have moved you to the top of my Twins "hopeful" list to root for, but you have reached the top of my "respected" list. I'm sure your whole family must be very proud of the man you are.

 

Best of luck this season!

 

And while I hope for the very best success for you in baseball, I believe, eventually, you have a wonderful career waiting for you in journalism.