A new season is upon us, and I am happy to see it. In the hockey world of fans, bloggers, and writers this statement has been uttered or written many thousands of times over, and yet I feel the need to explain why I feel happy. Since I am a hockey fan and very amateur hockey blogger, I assume that most readers will see this title and think that I am referring to hockey. While I am in a sense, I feel the need to express life in general. The changing of seasons is usually a time in the year that comes and goes without very much notice from me. This year, for some reason that totally alludes me, I find myself in a whirlwind of emotion that I simply cannot explain. I feel like with the start of this season I am being presented with an unfamiliar road that is in fact less traveled.
In my personal hockey world, the Fall season brings a new year for the Nashville Predators. New faces join the familiar, and some of the familiar go into the books as former players. I am not going to go into who is new and who is not, and I am also not going to go into the subtle changes that the game will present us this year. What I simply want to convey is that the new hockey season once again brings a dream to the fans. The dream of winning a single game, or making a long playoff run will fill the minds of young and old alike. It is a dream that we can all share whether going to a game for the very first time, or being a regular year after year. A toast! To mental health. For me, and for many that I know, hockey brings a much needed escape from the daily grind.
Speaking of the daily grind, many of you know what I do for a living. I'm not specifically going to go into details about my employment, but I would like to tell a short story. This Summer has been especially stressful for me. I have been busy like so many others, and more than I care to admit, I have taken my stress out on friends and family members that did not deserve that form of treatment. I have been juggling my schedule trying to fit in inservice hours and I have been dealing with mounds of paperwork. I constantly have to deal with an office that is only open during the hours that I am asleep, and like so many others, my phone rings off the hook. While I quietly grumble and complain to myself, the summer trudges on. And it seems to just get worse.
Then, it happened. I was put in my place. I met a young girl a couple of weeks ago. She appeared to be in her late teen's, she was well kept, very normal looking, and when I met her she was with her mother. I had business with the girl's mother, yet I quickly greeted her by saying hello and turned my attention toward mom. I did not get a response, and thought nothing of it. The mother greeted me, formally introduced me to her daughter using sign language, and promptly informed me that the young girl was deaf. Mom and I started making our way to a table to discuss a variety of subjects at hand, and the young girl followed. Before I had taken three steps, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was obvious who was trying to get my attention, and I was initially aggravated because I do not know sign language. I turned, smiled, and quickly found that she only wanted me to see the small puppy that she was holding in her arms. I pet the dog for just a moment, then quickly sat down. I started talking with mom, and the young girl disappeared. After about three minutes, the young girl reappeared, again holding the dog. She brought it to me, showing me that she had put a dress on her puppy. I again started petting it, motioned that I liked the dress, and continued talking with mom. Realizing that the young girl appreciated company and wanted to interact with me, I started thinking that I could write a short note of appreciation to her. On to the rest of the story...I found out through conversation with mom that the young girl can not read, can not write, has the life skills of a 6 year old, and the vocabulary in sign language of a 3 year old. I found that this young girl, who was actually in her mid 20's, is totally defenceless. The greatest honor that she has the ability to bestow on another human being is to introduce her puppy. Maybe if you were in my shoes you would understand. Being allowed to simply pet this particular dog is one my greatest life achievements. Saying that I am deeply honored does not begin to express my gratefulness.
Who am I to even begin to think that I have the first problem? For a moment, I really believed that my life was stressful.
For reasons that have yet to be unveiled, I keep meeting people that completely change the way that I think...about everything. As I previously stated, a new road is being presented; it leads into the unknown and I welcome the challenge. Let the new season begin! Who knows, we may all actually be in for a pleasant surprise.
