We stopped to check out a new sports card store during my visit to see my best friend Dustin this weekend. In our heyday of collecting baseball cards, he and I used to go to Don’s – a card shop in Strasburg, PA – any chance we had. Before getting our licenses, we were at the mercy of our parents to take us there. I’d always walk in with money from mowing my grandparent’s lawn, thickening my wallet. I still have some collectible items in my office that I bought there.
First, I still have all my baseball cards. A few are displayed, but most are packed in boxes or albums. I didn’t get all of my cards from Don’s. Some were bought at the Leaman Place grocery store. Back then, you would get packs of 15-20 cards for forty cents. Times have changed.
I also have pens with team logos on them. My goal was to get all twenty-six (this was before Arizona, Miami, Tampa and Colorado had teams). The pens never worked well, and knowing me, I didn’t want to use them anyway. They are on my shelves, tucked into an ESPN Zone mug. I’m a few short from the complete set. I also have my 12-page album with nothing but Rickey Henderson cards.
While I never collected hockey cards and have less than a hundred football and basketball cards, my entire collection isn’t all baseball. One Christmas, my mom bought a complete set of Star Wars cards. It’s good that she made sure every card was accounted for because they weren’t all there. Don’s wife wasn’t happy my mom was a good shopper. Go, Mom! I have those in a plastic container and periodically change the front card. Currently, it’s Han Solo in his famous gun-slinger pose.
Dustin treated me to a pack (he owes me for the infamous Wade Boggs rookie rip-off saga). $7 for one pack of 12 cards. It was my first pack of baseball cards since my early teenage years. I remember opening packs of cards in the car and shouting out, “I got a Phillie!” It was a delightful trip down memory lane, made even better after shuffling through and finding the best catcher in baseball, J.T. Realmuto.
This post serves as the beginning of ten reasons why it’s important to dream. I imagine many of the reasons listed are also why it’s important to put your car in drive, roll the windows down (yes, roll) and speed down Memory Lane. Actually, I recommend taking your time. Soak it all in.
Word of caution: Birds still poop on cars on Memory Lane. Nobody said going into the past was perfect.
Ten Reasons Why It’s Important to Dream (and Dream Big!)
1. Outer-self, Meet Inner-Self
It’s not always a match made in heaven. Our outer-selves carry the burdens and stress of paying bills, parenting and work, while our inner-selves, the place deep down where your joy and passion hang out and ignore all the external nonsense lives. Our passion is constantly whispering – sometimes screaming – at us, telling us what we want to do and/or what we should do with our lives. Are we listening?
No, not always. It’s easy to use the daily grind as an excuse to noise-cancel what’s calling us. Our dreams are better than that. They deserve better than that. Our dreams know what it takes to clear the hurdles.
Our hearts and brains are twelve inches away from each other. Why do we continue to fill that space with doubt and fear?
Kristi Hurley suggests (and I agree) writing down your dreams. Put daily, weekly and life-long goals on a Post-it or notecard and put it on your mirror, in your car and inside your bagged lunch. Choose a friend to ask you at least once a month about your progress. Have them keep you accountable. Hey, this is your dream you’re fighting for. We must walk the extra mile. Because here’s the truth: most people don’t. Most people permanently ignore those calls from deep within.
My advice? Don’t.
Listening to your inner-self releases hope and joy. Think of them as spiny burrs. But instead of being a nuisance, as they stick to your socks and shoelaces, they stick to those around you. Dreaming is contagious and spawns inspiration, so start spreading the joy. Your family deserves it, and you deserve it.
…to be continued (again)
Dream Out Loud,
rg
Didn't baseball cards come with bubble gum at one time.