If I Could Turn Back Time

Yesterday I found myself humming Cher's "If I Could Turn Back Time", posting on and wondering, what is this all about?  I'm trying to stay in the moment these days - thank you Ekhart Tolle, easier said than done!  The memory that echoed back was from a softball game, probably circa 1980- yes, 30 years ago!  I'm playing the Rover position (4th outfielder) in a local league slow pitch game.  We're sponsored by Village Inn which was a pizza joint and no longer exists on the mesa.  I look over my shoulder to see Karen the left fielder.  She smiles and nods an "I've got your back"-nod.  The actual game seems irrelevant; I don't know the score, the field is in poor condition, but it's interesting how memory works.  I just remember the friendships and that nod.

Karen was an amazing athlete.  She was strong, fast and a power hitter.  She could throw you out from left field and had a habit of diving into bases head first. I called her Pete because of her fearless slides on the base paths.  Her father didn't hear about her ballpark nickname until her memorial service, but I think he liked it and he game me her glove. 

The feeling that someone has your back has got to be one of the best; don't you agree?  I think this was the point of my retro trip.  Cher, If I'm going to turn back time, I hope it's to learn something I didn't completely get at the time and not to just to remember some cool party or old boyfriend.