2020 Hindsight

I own one orange shirt.  So, as I awoke on the 274th day of 2020 to Chris Carter telling me that today is Orange Shirt Day, I decided to wear it.  It's a danger to wear this shirt because it represents the colors of Penn's archrival, Princeton.  But, on 9/30/20, my 2020 Hindsight is sometimes, you just gotta wear orange.  Luckily there were not a lot of video meetings today, so I was able to avoid scorn.  I wore orange and blue, anyway, the colors of Syracuse.  Honor the day :-)!

I do not like mixing politics with my nightly Hindsights but, on the 273rd day of 2020, I feel I have to.  The evening of 9/29/2020 was tainted by the 1st 2020 Presidential Debate.  I actively tried not to watch, but I did hear some of it from the other room.  From what I gather, it was a horrible event, with a lack of decorum and devolved into yelling and chaos.  My 2020 Hindsight is that I fear for this country.  No matter the results of the election, it is obvious that the divide and rancor will continue for months or years to come.  I pray for a safe and orderly election.  I pray that we can live in a country where kindness and love are valued more than rancor and winning.  I just I am going to have to wait for a long while before my prayers are answered.  Be Safe, Be Kind, and please Vote in November!

The evening of the palindromic 272nd day of 2020 was a glorious  night.  Although 9/28/2020 was a bit of a humid day, when we got to Washington Lakes Park in Washington Township, there was a refreshing breeze (some people were even a bit cold, I thought it was wonderful).  And as I sat in the dugout and served as the bench coach for our 9-0 victory, I looked up at the sky and saw the almost full moon.  Such a beautiful sight.  My 2020 Hindsight is Moon Over the Mustangs.  And, under that moonlit sky, we played an excellent game and had fun doing it too.  

I woke up early on the morning of the 271st day of 2020.  It was because 9/27/2020 was the second day of the USA Softball NJ State Tournament and I was helping my friend by serving as his bench coach for the younger Merchantville Mustangs team.  It was a single elimination round and, sadly, we were edged out in our first game, losing 2-1.  So, at about 11AM, I started on the road, heading back West.  11AM on Sundays is also Church time and so, for the first time in my life, I "attended" Church in my minivan, listening to the Zoom (video off) as I was driving home.  Even, when at a stoplight, participating in the prayers.  My 2020 Hindsight is Church on the Road.  There are not a lot of things I want to retain from these pandemic times, but the idea that Church can be so much more accessible to people is one I am hoping we can incorporate when we get to meeting together (and I DO hope we meet together soon), in person.  I am glad I did not miss Chu...

Today is the 20th day of 2020.  And, on 9/26/2020, I am thinking about the 269th day (no Leap Year) of 1970.  That is because, 50 years ago today, at the Penn vs Lehigh Football Game in Franklin Field, women marched on to the field with the Penn Band for the first time.  And, today, the Band is kicking off a year long celebration of women in the Penn Band.  It's going to be an amazing celebration and I am only sad that we could not kick it off in person, at FF, as originally planned.  I, of course, have an affinity to a few women in the Penn Band, being married to one and being the father of one of the newest women in the Penn Band.  So, fittingly, my 2020 Hindsight tonight is 50 Years of Penn Band Women.  Here's to ALL of the trailblazers from 1970, my good friend Marianne, the first Female Drum Major (first of MANY), and those Penn Band Women who are in leadership and in the membership of the Band today.  Glad to have marched with many of them a...

Whelp, as I went to start my post for the 269th day of 2020, I realized I missed a post (AGAIN) for the 268th day of 2020.  I guess it has been a crazy time at work as we all try to keep up with project work, COVID-19 challenges, and, of course, our emails.  So, as I head off to bed on 9/25/2020, I guess my Hindsight 2020 must be, OOPS!, I did it again!  Yup, missed two posts on the last two Thursdays (no, I have no idea what is up with Thursdays).  I will try to be better than that, on October 1st (next Thursday).  But, the one good thing about this is that it gives me an excuse to leave you with a Britney Spears song! OOPS! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CduA0TULnow&ab_channel=BritneySpearsVEVO

It's been a slow start for the Fall 2020 Mustangs Softball Team.  Our lineup has just been having issues with hits and has not scored that many runs (can't win, if you don't score!)  But, on the 267th day of 2020, I was hoping for a change.  The lineup we devised for the game on 9/23/2020 mixed the lineup up to try to knock the players out of their rut.  And IT WORKED!  The Mustangs won tonight, 16-1.  20 HITS!  YES!  My 2020 Hindsight is Everybody Hits!  They did tonight (the Phillies won as well1) and hopefully it will continue into the future!                                                                                                                  ...

The 266th day of 2020 was a bit overwhelming.  Nothing bad happened at work on 9/22/2020, but I had meeting after meeting and, as I sat down at 5:30PM, I saw I had 400+ emails in my inbox.  Today is also the Fall Equinox.  The daylight and darkness are evened out.  There is balance from the shining sun.  Tonight, my 2020 Hindsight is striving for balance.  Faced with this email load, I went to my swim lane reservation and had a great swim.  I still have a BUNCH of emails to go but, I am heading to bed.  I need to sleep and get that balance.  The work will be there tomorrow AM.

I was not ready for the weekend to be over and I was dragging on the 265th day of 2020.  But 9/21/2020 started off well!  I started, as I do every other Monday, at the Chiropractor.  And I needed it this week.  Sitting at a desk that is not meant for office work, for long hours each day, has caused me some paid in my shoulder.  By Dr. Smith helped me immensely.  My 2020 Hindsight is Gotta Stretch!  Dr. Smith gave me some great stretches (doorway stretches) and I employed them this evening.  Feeling much better, I head off to bed.

I had a ton of work I could have been doing on the 264th day of 2020.  But despite that, in the morning of 9/20/2020, I drove to Cherry Hill and sat in he visitor's dugout for seven hours acting and the Bench Coach for two different softball teams.  And it was GREAT!  No, we did not win any of the games (0-3-1) and we did not even score a run in the last two games.  But I still left the field relaxed and smiling.  It was good to be outside, on a beautiful day, and watching softball and helping my friend coach his teams.  Then, in the evening, the family called my sister, on the occasion of her 48th Birthday.  48 is GREAT!  It's the first in a bunch of non-prime number ages one can have (I am near the end of that list: 48, 49, 50, 51, 52) and I think, of course, that is neat (Math Geek for life!)  My 2020 Hindsight is Sunday Celebrations - Sister and Softball.  Both amazing things that made me smile today.  Love them both!

For most of the 263rd day of 2020, I have been thinking about all of the women who have played such an important role in society and, specifically in my life.  It started last night with the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a woman who dedicated her entire life, even when sick and dying, to the defense of rights of the under-represented.  It was moving to see all of the posts from my friends who were mourning the loss of such an amazing woman, one who has inspired many many more.  Then, in the morning of 9/19/2020, we were mourning the loss, but also celebrating the life, of Delilah Yvonne Wooten Marrow.  Delilah was a pillar of many churches (I realized during her Memorial Service how many churches, and members of these churches, she has inspired) including Old First Reformed UCC.  And, she too, fought for the rights of the under-represented and inspired many, especially young, black women to further their lived and careers in the Church.  And I started to th...

Here we are at the 262nd day of 2020.  Wait, Adam!  Your last post was for Day #260.  This is, of course, true.  This has been a long week at work and I was deep into a project last night.  I looked up at one point and, HOLY SMOKES!, it was 2:20AM.  I hurried off to bed because I had to present at a meeting this morning and had TWO meetings before that (8:45, 9, 9:30AM - what a way to start a Friday).  But the presentation went well, the day's work got done, and here we are at the weekend.  My 2020 Hindsight is I Missed One.  Oops, can't post them all!  :-)

There have not been a lot of positives from the Covid Quarantine, with a lot of restrictions and remote school.  But, on the 260th day of 2020, I had to smile at this picture (below).  Yes, one bright spot of Alexa having to learn from home is her continued playing with the Mustangs softball team (it's her Intramural Sports, if you will).  And, another bright spot is watching Alexa and Anna as teammates.  That's my 2020 HIndsight Sisters AND Teammates.  As they get older, it has just been getting more fun to watch.  And we have a Fall season to enjoy.  It's nice to find bright spots amidst the Covid darkness.  

With each passing day, I often discover something else that I miss from the "before times" when things were "normal."  After work on the 259th day of 2020, I was a bit tense, but also looking forward to 6PM.  Because, 9/15/2020 at 6PM was my next swim time.  And swimming has been a really positive thing that has come from this pandemic, a renewed discipline of scheduling these times and adhering to them.  Scheduling makes it not only easier (because I know that the lane will be free when I arrive), but also makes me commit to the time and to do it!  But, I have spent other hindsights on swimming, and tonight's hindsight is Evening Drive Time Radio.  Yes, I had a 6PM (instead of 6:30 or 7) slot in the pool because it was the latest I could get..  So, for the first time in a LONG time, I was in the car, driving, at 5:45PM on a weekday.  Why is that significant?  Because I got to listen to "Sound Off" on the Sports Talk channel I used to have on...

I spent a little too much time during the evening of the 258th day of 2020 looking at my Fantasy Football rosters.  Yes, I play in too many fantasy football leagues (only one for money and it's $10, so do not worry about me!).  And, at the end of the week, it looks like I will finish 3-2, pulling a few out in the last games.  But, more importantly, I am glad to have been distracted, on 9/14/2020, by football and not thinking about news, or the weather, or things that are going on at work.  My 2020 Hindsight is Football's back.  I mean I'd rather be back in the office, I'd rather my kids be at School, I'd rather be with people in person, and not on Zoom.  But, it does not look like that is happening for a while so, tonight, I will just be happy with the return of football, and wonder how long it will last.....

Well, tonight's hindsight is something that is not very consequential at all.  Because, after Church on 9/13/2020, I was looking forward to watching sports for most of this Sunday.  With the NFL season starting and the Phillies in the playoff hunt, one of the things I like most about Fall is semi-back to normal.  But, wow, I kinda wish it weren't.  The Eagles blew a 17 point lead to a division rival and the Phillies got swept in a double header as reports of injuries keep piling on.....sigh.  Again, in the grand scheme of things, this matters not, but my 2020 Hindsight is what a bad day for Philly Sports..... as I quipped to my friend, "we wanted normalcy and now we're all upset at our sports teams today, so that is a return to some normalcy...."  :-)

I woke up on the 256th day of 2020 and my wife said to me, "I turned off the AC."  So I was a bit concerned (boy do I like my AC) as I got out of bed on 9/12/2020, but I should not have been.  Today's weather was amazing (lucky for the local soccer clubs opening up play today), and I really felt like it was Fall.  I am sure the Summer temps will be back soon enough, and I felt a little badly enjoying it so much when I know California and the Pacific NW are suffering from the heat and the fires and the smoke.  But it made my 2020 Hindsight a Taste of Fall.  Fall will be here soon.  Today was beautiful.  It gives me hope for the coming months and, believe me, we all need hope for these coming months!

I was "off" from work on 9/11/2020.  I say "off" because I still kept up with my email and attended one important meeting, but my mindset was not "in the office" and I was able to manage my schedule better.  After I chose to take off the 255th day of 2020, a use-it-or-lose-it, because it was a Friday with few meetings, I then realized what day today is.  Nineteen years have passed since I was in Fagin Hall watching the unthinkable happen.  Nineteen years and I fear the World is not better off (and may be worse off) that it was at the time.  Nineteen years means that many of the children of those who perished are in, or even done College.  I have heard people describe the Class of 2024 as "The Sandwich Class."  Born into the post-9/11 fear and now moving into their next phase (college or career) during a global pandemic.  My 2020 Hindsight is Never Forget.  I will never forget where I was when I heard a plane had crashed into a Tower in NYC....

The 254th day of 2020 looks to be shaping up as another day reading and dealing with emails until 1:30AM.  And there is no end in sight (it might actually get worse).  Tonight, 9/10/2020, I am tired.  My 2020 Hindsight is No Rest for the Weary.  Thank goodness I am off tomorrow and then we have the weekend.  Hope I can sleep, and recharge,  AND improve my habits.

It was another rough workday on 9/9/2020.  No, nothing really bad happened, nothing at all, but just there is a high volume and I am stressed a bit trying to keep up.  Just email alone is overwhelming some days.  But, this evening, we walked away from it all and went to Alexa and Anna's Fall Ball softball game.  And, yes, we lost 10-0.  And, no, neither kid got a hit (but they did each get a walk and made no errors in the field), but nobody really hit (ummm, our team scored 0).  BUT, although we lost, I still had a great time.  My 2020 Hindsight is "A Bad Day at the Ballpark is Better than a Good Day in the Office!"  Not a quote I made up, but surely a quote appropriate for today.

Well, on the 252nd day of 2020, Anna started 11th grade.  And Alexa started her 2nd week of Penn Nursing.  And I spent most if the day, when not swimming, eating dinner, or running an errand, on the computer.  Yes, my 2020 Hindsight for 9/8/2020 is Online ALL of the time.  I like being online, but I cannot wait until we can do things in person again.  This is getting old.

Labor Day, the unofficial end to the Summer Season.  And the 251st day of 2020 does feel like the end of the Summer, kind of.  We had a nice long weekend.  The girls got a trip to parasail yesterday.  We had a Socially Distanced BBQ on 9/7/2020, and we even drafted our usual fantasy football leagues.  But, while this is the "end" of the Summer, I sort of feel like the Summer never was.  Without a vacation to see our family, without the usual Little League Snack Stand Experience, without attending any baseball games at Citizen's Bank Park (and only recently even watching baseball). without Summer Conferences and New Student Orientation on Penn's Campus, without a trip to a pool, or even a weekend away, the Summer of 2020 will go down as one of the strangest summers of my life.  My 2020 Hindsight is the summer that was, and wasn't.  It's hard to say goodbye to something that never really feels like it had arrived.  And we're in for a strange Fa...

On the 250th day of 2020, I really felt the effects of COVID-19.  NO, I am not sick and have no symptoms and have not tested positive (well, to be honest, I have not tested at all).  But 9/6/2020 is the Sunday before Labor Day and, for as long as I can remember, Sarah's parents have had a Seafood Picnic on this Labor Day Eve and the whole side of the Walters Family convenes together.  For some of the people, it's the only time of the year we get to see them.  For others, it's a reminder that, although it is the end of the Summer, it is the start of the Family Season (Labor Day, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas)....  My 2020 Hindsight is I was missing this milestone today.  Yes, Sarah's brother brought her some crabs so we can put this in the milestones modified not missed bucket.  But, it really was not the same without the extended family.  A family that I feel so blessed to have married into and a family I cannot wait until we can start regular...

We did something on the 249th day of 2020 that we had not done in a long while!  On 9/5/2020, we turned off the AC and opened the windows in the house.  Yes, the humidity dropped precipitously for our area last night and it's supposed to continue for a few days.  It's supposed to return to hot and humid next week, but for now, I will enjoy my 2020 Hindsight for tonight, A Breath of Fresh Air!  It reminds me that Fall is on its way.  Fall is my favorite season as it is not cold, but it is cooler and less humid.  And we have baseball and football at the same time and, of course, the return of the students to campus (which I am missing this year, missing a lot).  So this Fall will not be as happy as most Falls are, but the nice air is a welcome characteristic!  Breathe in the good stuff, everyone.  And for those of you in places where it is hot, humid, and/or smokey, it's coming!

The 248th day of 2020 was the end of a VERY long week.  I am not sure why, but it's been a tough go these past few weeks.  So, at the end of the workday on 9/4/2020, I did something I rarely do.  I left the laptop.... and took a break.  I ate dinner with my wife, we sat on the patio (until the mosquitoes drove us in), played games on my phone, chatted with my family, and played Song Quiz against Anna (I won the 00s game, she won the 10s game).  My 2020 Hindsight was Gimmie a Break.  I really needed one after this week. 

Yes, it's been a long week and the 247th day of 2020 was no exception.  I just seem to be getting bogged down in stuff (work and home and community) and I really need this weekend (long one at that) to recharge.  But, in the evening of 9/3/2020, as I was video chatting back and forth on Marco Polo with my mom and my sister, I just started laughing.  I mean it was not a joke, but something my sister said made me laugh and then my mom was laughing at us which made me laugh and, suddenly, I felt a lot better.  It made my 2020 Hindsight for tonight that laughter IS the best medicine.  I mean I know it won't cure all that ails ya'.... .but it's good to have.  And I was glad to have my dosage tonight!

  It was another long day of work on the 246th day of 2020 and I was looking forward to getting my swim in after it was all over.  But, plans changed on 9/2/2020 when I got an email from the Umpire in Chief of NJ Little League District 13.  One of the things I love about July and August are the tournaments that I get to work either in the Snack Stand at Oaklyn, or as an umpire on the field (or, some days, BOTH!)  But, 2020 being what it is, the one  game I was scheduled for this late tournament was rained out after 1.5 innings.  But the email from the UiC was not about working a game.  It was about tonight's Pre-Game ceremony at the D13 Baseball Championship Game.  We all assembled at the Haddonfield LL field to honor the memory of our fallen brother, Joe Basara.  I wrote about him a few months ago when he succumbed to Covid and, frankly, I still cannot wrap my brain around the news.  But, he was honored tonight by his brothers and siste...

The 246th day of 2020 was the first of many days for a few things in my life.  First, 9/1/2020 was the first day of college for Alexa as she starts at Penn Nursing.  But it's also the first day of a fundraising campaign that the OEF is embarking on, attempting to raise necessary funds for technology for kids who cannot afford the costs in a Fall when access to technology (and equity in that access) has never been more important.  My 2020 Hindsight is the Journey Begins.  It might not always be easy, but may it always be meaningful and enriching.