Yesterday (6/13) was my birthday and I enjoyed it by catching the Detroit Tigers host the Washington Nationals at Comerica Park in downtown Detroit.
No, this isn’t about America’s pastime it’s more about people, sights and just some fun.
If you’re new to following me, here is a tidbit. June is my ‘birthday month’ and I like to do it right and this year it started out with a trip to the same downtown for the Detroit Grand Prix a couple weeks back and now’s time for the second event of my month.
Before that story begins there’s something that touched my heart beforehand. Back in February I ran a ‘Meet Me’ with Best Singing Telegrams in Los Angeles (Meet: Best Singing Telegrams) and it’s clear they remembered me while posting this birthday greeting all over social media.
All I could, and still, do is smile at ‘Jessica’ as she sings ‘Happy Birthday’ to me which makes this journey and that particular segment of ‘Meet Me’s,’ about people and their careers, all the worth wild.
At last publishing, Best Singing Telegrams (https://www.bestsingingtelegrams.com/) had expanded into the San Diego market as well and I hope to get a follow-up with its owner on how things have been going since their expansion before months end.
One thing’s for sure, if you’re in their area, a singing telegram makes the perfect gift that will keep you smiling for a lifetime. Be sure to check out their site at the above link.
Although previous trips were done where ‘nobody knew my name’ (those stories can be found here https://rickollie.com/?s=travel) I just love using this song, because deep inside that’s what we all want. To go somewhere where everybody knows our name and that’s where I feel I’m heading today.
SONG HUMOR: My two favorite versus’ from the song are when it’s sang, ‘your shrink ran off to Europe and didn’t even write,’ and ‘your husband wants to be a girl’.
Hell, my shrink’s already in Europe, maybe it’s time for her to run off to America with her boyfriend and make my healing journey easier in person. And before you go all ‘hate’ on me for the other line, I just think it’s a fun addition to the song which came out in 1989 at a stuffier time in life. I’m an avid LGBTQ supporter so if your husband wants to become a girl, I’m behind ‘her’ decision. People need to learn acceptance plain and simple.
Yesterday’s journey began boarding a city bus and heading downtown. No parking, only 50 cents you can’t beat it.
I’m sure you’ve noticed life can be strange at times by the people you run into. Years ago, while heading downtown I couldn’t help but hear a conversation between two elderly gentlemen. One had said, “oh I haven’t seen you in a while. I had heard your wife killed you.” In return the other replied, “She tried but I lived.” 🤔 Ok then, definitely time for a new wife I thought.
It was a bit different today, more in line with ‘The Cheers’ theme. Soon as I boarded, the gentleman nearest me in the photo, below, looked at me in my ‘Pink Tigers, t-shirt’ and asked me if I were headed to the game.
Those first few words kicked off an entire conversation from cancer, baseball, travel to even basketball lasting the entire ride and my agreeing to let them follow me to the ballpark. You guessed it, they were out of towners headed from a motel near Metro Airport to watch the game. Him and his grandson had flown into Detroit for business and their return flight wasn’t scheduled till later in the evening.
Underneath that jacket he dawns an emblem on his shirt, one representing the NBA’s Miami Heat, where he had retired from. We talked Bad Boys, Fear the FRO and the changing dynamics of the WNBA as well.
Neither had seen Canada from Detroit so I had opted to take the People Mover, thus allowing us to avoid a big portion of the half mile walk to the ballpark from the ‘Rosa Parks Transportation Center’ which is the bus’s end stop.
Once at the ballpark we parted ways as they sought to eat lunch outside the park. Me on the other hand, I had an ‘inside the park’ (pun intended) destination I was headed for.
And that was in the ‘Tiger Club’ inside the park itself, operated by the ‘Motor City Casino Hotel,’ also, owned by the Ilitch family that owns the Detroit Tigers, Red Wings and several other facilities in and around the city.
When I had the opportunity to participate in this adventure, I couldn’t pass it up. I had cut through the club once while viewing a game from the suites but had never sat, ate or viewed a game from its confines. Truly an exciting experience and made a great birthday memory.
Recalling this quote from an Instagram post “I don’t chase, I attract,” I snickered. Let’s be honest, in real life we do both. I’ve followed some of you first and some of you have followed me first. Laws of attraction.
With that said, meet Elizabeth.
Who would’ve followed who first, who knows. It doesn’t really matter what connected us was a ‘Pink Tigers t-shirt.’ Everyone knows someone who has or had ‘cancer,’ both living or deceased. We clicked right off and is quite real, unlike so many social media types I’m accustomed to that don’t believe in authenticity.
I had never written, not even at a newspaper, about cancer. I have an aunt that fought and won her battle with the disease while her husband, my mother’s brother, had succumbed to it.
Then there was mine. That’s when it hit home, and I began talking and penning about it. Bringing awareness of the disease because everyone seems afraid if they mention the ‘c’ word it brings bad fortunes.
What I find worse, and I won’t call you out by name, but you know who you are, is when someone says, “Oh, I thought it was a routine visit.” No cancer visit is routine, and it’s totally uncalled for even thinking it as such, let alone telling someone suffering from it that it is.
Honestly, I didn’t catch much of the game but chose to enjoy the ballpark itself. Below is the ‘merry-go-round’ inside ‘The Big Cat Food Court.’
Then there were the jerseys. Some old-timers and some new kids on the block.
And so, the day ends with a Tigers, 7-2, win and a victory for me as well. A friend in Elizabeth, being a tour guide for out of towners, who also rode the same bus back that enabled us to talk more this time about the flooding in Miami and my time with the Marlins at their than spring training camp in Vierra.
My birthday had reminded me of that first solo trip to Boston in ’22, yet this time it was a home game. With all the same frills as that free cab ride offered by a complete stranger’s generosity and the kindness of the Red Sox’s fans that sat near me for not booing me out of Fenway for wearing the ‘Old English D’ synonymous with Tom Selleck.
I hope the lives I touched yesterday brings them memories they’ll fondly remember forever. After all, isn’t kindness what matters most?
A special ‘Thank You’ to all that wished me a ‘Happy Day’ yesterday. The Little Things matter!
Stay tuned, there more Birthday Month journeys to come.
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lucky 13, cancer survivor, national cancer survivor month, gemini, gemini season, friend
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