I read about one book a week. Also, I try to read the Bible everyday. I like to read biographies, auto biographies, John Grisham, and books about songwriting. I like to read about songwriters and how they write their songs, where they get their inspiration and any tricks and tips that I can pick up to write better songs.
I finished reading a book that I started two days ago. It is a good book, maybe a great book, when you consider how quick I read it. It is called the Oldest Rookie. It is an auto-biography about Jim Morris. You might have heard of him. The story of his life was made into a movie called The Rookie. The star of the movie was Dennis Quaid. This is one of those books that is better than the movie. How many times have we heard that? I think it all depends if you are a reader or a watcher. I am more of a reader but it is a lot easier and quicker to watch a movie than to read the book.
Jim was a child that loved balls. He loved to throw balls, kick balls, roll balls, etc. His favorite sport was baseball but he also was a basketball and a football player. After high school he was drafted into the baseball. Injuries put a stop to his career. He gave up on his dream, got married, went to college, and had kids. Baseball was a dream that he left behind.
The story takes a twist. He became a head coach at a small Texas school. His baseball team had talent. He believed his team could be very successful. He told them to "Reach out. Put a dream or a goal just past where you can touch it at that moment. Then, once you do touch it, you've gotta reach a little higher. And a little higher. And a little higher. That's how you get better know matter what you do in life."
The players wanted to know why he wasn't chasing his dream of being a major league pitcher. They had seen how hard that he could throw. Their question was, "Why aren't you still playing?" He laughed. No professional baseball team would take a chance of a thirty-five year old player who had been out of the league for ten years.
The coach and the player made a deal. If they won the district championship, he would have to try out for a major league team. Sure he could and would try out but the reality of his dream coming true was impossible.
True to his work Coach Morris went to a Tampa Bay Rays tryout. The scouts could not believe it when the left handed picture threw the ball ninety-five miles per hours. The scout changed radar guns to make sure that it was not a false reading. It wasn't. This started the process of him making the major leagues as a pitcher at a time when most baseball players are considering retirement.
Jim Morris had achieved his goal. Many times throughout the book his goals had changed. His goal at a youngster was to play major league baseball. He did play professional baseball but only in the minor leagues. Another goal was to marry his wife. He went to college to get a degree so he could make more money and coach. His major league career ended after ten months when he had a career ending elbow injury.
Sometimes when we chases our dreams we become so focused that our life gets off kilter. During his last stint in the majors it was hard on his relationship with this wife and children. He said, "Sometimes I imagine myself at deaths door sorting through memories like souvenirs. I'll remember the people, the places, the dogs. I'll remember the long road to my dream and all the turns and obstacles along the way. I'll smile because I won't have to regret losing my wife and family to a dream that I learned didn't mean as much to me as they did."
Let's all chase our dreams and hope they never turn into nightmares. We all need to keep our priorities in line with what we believe is most important. We might be dreaming about driving a brand new Ford F-150 four wheel drive and we already own a $70,000 Hummer. Maybe, the life we are living is the dream?