Will the words ever flow again?

 

From the desk of Dan Price

I envision a hazy corridor with a row of doors and a carpeted hallway only a Jack Nicholson could walk down comfortably.  A  shadowy figure emerges dressed in a dark colored trench coat and with both hands attempts to unlock the first door, the second and the third, all to no avail. Hunched over, the figure moves on to the next door and the next. The hands begin to shake as the figure reaches the last door on the left.

No need for a key. The door is slightly ajar. The figure, now startled, slowly closes the door and disappears into the night.

That sums up my past three weeks. Since 2009, the doors have always been unlocked as the words have flowed freely, sometimes making sense, sometimes not. What does it all mean? Beyond all those locked doors, the world struggles and the people in it scatter in all directions, trying desperately to make sense of it all.

We continue to lose our loved ones and our sports heroes. Hank Aaron passed away Friday at the age of 86, Don Sutton died Monday at the age of 75. Over 400,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus. A new president emerges. The 46th president of the United States begins his first full week in office. The  45th president of the United Sates reluctantly bows out and heads for Florida.

Chances are that shadowy figure is yours truly. Chances are this beaten and battered old man will stop half way down the steps, make a u-turn, return to the last door on the left and return to my little place in the sun, still clinging to what words I have left, hopefully reconnecting with my die-hard readers who have followed me for the past 12 years.

Just a year ago, the major league pitchers were packing their bags and heading off to spring training. Some had thrown a pitch or two, some had not logged one inning of game action. Here we are again. Already, there are rumors flying around of ripping into a 162- regular season schedule.

Locally, our amateur 60-and-over baseball club, the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS), is sidelined once again. No groups of eight or more. A curfew to boot. The club's last game was back on January 4th.

January is coming to an end.

The old man has thrown off his trench coat and placed his arthritic right hand on the last door on the left. He begins to push forward. 

We shall see what awaits.