The Super Heroes of October

Since Monday I have been on vacation with my family.  My wife and two boys bring me more joy than a man really should be allowed to have.   My two boys, ages four and seven, are really two of my best friends.  We like all the same things, pizza, mac and cheese, driving Mommy crazy, and baseball.  My wife has worked very hard for nearly 6 months to plan this vacation.   As a result, we have spent the past week in the happiest place on earth, Walt Disney World.

Overall it was a great trip.  The rides are pretty cool, the different parks offer something different for everyone, and now that Disney has purchased the Star Wars franchise, Disney’s Hollywood Studios offered this fanboy a chance to geek out, complete with enrolling my younglings in Jedi Training.

It was a great vacation, but with two major flaws.  The first flaw had to solidify my nomination for father of the year.  My wife and boys wanted to attend Mickey’s Not-so-Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom.  This means we will walk around a theme park for almost 9 hours, in Halloween costumes. Normally this would be, in my mind, a pretty fun evening, however my family wanted to go as, The Incredibles.  This is a great idea, for my hyperactive sons, who both have the metabolism of a hummingbird, or my wife who has the kind of figure, for which spandex was intended.  For me, a 6 foot, 220 pound clone of Football Hall of Famer, Art Donavan, it may not have been such a great thing.

I, however, know that life is short, and my kids are only small and as easily entertained for so long. So while my kids where looking adorable, and my wife was looking smoking hot; I squeezed all 220 pounds of me into a fire engine red spandex bodysuit.  While I looked a lot better than I imagined I would, it still was not pretty.  I looked like a red sack of laundry, wearing a pair of black ladies briefs. We then set out for The Happiest Place on Earth, to join thousands of other middle class families, for a night of candy, costumes, annoying music, Disney Magic, and chafing.

The second major flaw of this vacation, was that we planned at a time when I pessimistically assumed, that the Royals, even if they made to the post season, would surely be finished playing baseball by this point in the postseason.  I obviously, could not have been more incorrect.  Friday night, I was a wreck.  Sneaking peaks at my phone was easy.  I had to carry my phone, because I did not have any pockets, so it did not look unusual to have the phone in my hand at all times. This worked until for some reason, simultaneously, my phone refused to send or receive any information utilizing any 21^st century methods of communication.

This really wasn’t all bad, I was able to focus and give my undivided attention to my family. 

On the shuttle from the park to the Disney All-Star Sports Resort, I regained service, and was able to see that the Royals and O’s were tied, though I was unable to see how old the update actually was.   Upon arrival at our hotel, my wife couldn’t understand why I was rushing everyone to the room, which felt as if it was located another Disney shuttle bus drive away.  Finally we make it passed the Big swimming pool, passed the grassy-turf football field courtyard, pass the small baseball diamond shaped pool, and to our room.

We burst in, my oldest son not really sure why we are running, but enjoying the race anyway, immediately jumps onto the bed.  I grabbed the remote, and found the game, just in time to see Alex Gordon, my son’s baseball hero, standing at the plate.  I directed my son’s attention to the score, and the man at the plate.  Just then, Alex Gordon, destroys a baseball, and the Royals go ahead.

I look over at my son, and his jaw is on the floor.  His eyes could not open any wider.  Not long after Moose crushes another one. Again my son is amazed.  “Daddy, it’s like, every time I want them to hit a homer, they just…do it!” He yells, “I am so excited I don’t know what to do!”

He then jumps on the pristine, housekeeping fresh hotel sheets, on which his little brother had already, in full costume, fallen asleep, and completely destroys them.  After a quick scolding from Mommy, the hottest Elasti-Girl, I’ve ever seen, He jumps into my arms, and I catch him. 

I asked him, “Did you have a good night?”

He says, “It was awesome, Dad.  This was an awesome night.”

Though I looked ridiculous, and knew the Facebook pictures of me dressed as Mr. Incredible, would almost certainly come back to haunt me, it was all worth it.  We have to seize these moments.  Why did I agree to wear a full body spandex suit in front of thousands of people? Because I must seize the moment with my children before the moment is gone.

Why are the Royals suddenly tearing the cover off the ball, after finishing the regular season, dead last in the AL in homeruns? Maybe they are seizing the moment, for fans that have longed for greatness, and have always been forced to go away unfulfilled and bitter, for the last 29 years.

These Royals have sacrificed, looked like fools, looked weak, appeared vulnerable; Not unlike a 32 year old man wearing his underwear outside his bodysuit.  I guess sometimes you have to look vulnerable, and embrace the flaws, in order to seize the moment, and be a superhero.