As my sub-conscious took over and my spirit sped toward the land of dreams, my new world spoke to me in a clear and convincing voice, “Trust me, my friend. When you awaken I will help you get through your new day. Do not be alarmed, because I have nothing but good intentions toward you. I will not leave you during your waking hours and will remain at your side through the day.”
When morning came, I went through my usual ritual of getting ready to go downstairs. Then while I was eating my breakfast, I looked out the window. There was a humming bird out there sipping the nectar out of the tree blossoms. I could see his wings flapping and count the number of repetitions. Their movements were like the hands of a flamenco dancer caressing the shape and sound of the music. It seemed that his time had slowed down and mine was still at the usual pace.
I got my call up from the AAA Team yesterday. The third baseman broke his leg and I had to replace him. I was a bundle of nerves. If I made a good impression, I would be able to stick around much longer. The traffic on the way to the ball park was in super slow motion, or maybe that was my new world taking its effect on me. I was still nervous when I got out of the car and made my way to the stadium, even while I was sitting on the bench in the dugout.
The score was tied 14 – 14 in the eleventh inning when I got my call to pinch hit. I grabbed a bat and ran out on the field to the on-deck circle. After Wilson was called out on strikes, it was my turn to hit. The pitcher starred at me like I was his child and proceeded to fire the ball at me. The ball took forever to get to me and I could clearly see the rotation on it and knew exactly where it was going to end up. It was a 105 MPH fast ball, but to me it was traveling 2 MPH. I could hear it speaking to me, “I’m here for you. I am your slave. Do what you wish to me. I see your heart pumping through your chest and the blood surging through your veins. I sympathize with you. I want to see the smile on your face as you hit me out of the park. I’ll tell you when it’s time to swing at me. O.K. Now.”
I swung as hard as I could. The ball sailed out of the park and landed about 500 feet from home plate. The newspapers said that was the longest home run that was ever hit in the stadium. That gave me the incentive to keep working hard every day to stay in the big leagues. That was the start of my glorious career in baseball; thanks to the dream I had that night.