Establishing friendships on a patch of grass is one of the most important and enduring things I’ve done in my life.
In today’s world, we have social media where everyone stays connected. That’s good in some ways but I’m not as sure in other ways. It makes me think about my experiences as a youth in Houston, TX.
Courtesy: The Sandlot
Back in the ’90s, we didn’t have the array of advanced technologies that kids have today. Yes, there were video games, but those were more of a diversion than an occupation.
Instead, I remember spending a lot of time with neighborhood friends playing ball on a patch of grass called ‘a sandlot.’
So you can imagine how excited we were when we learned that a film by that very name was coming to our local theatre. The year was 1993 and we all went down to see The Sandlot. We could relate to what we saw on the screen.
As the years passed by, I haven’t forgotten the times we spent there. They were memorable times, good times. So I wondered what it would be like watching the film again, nearly 30 years later.
It was an enjoyable experience! It reminded me of simpler times when ‘fun’ was meeting up with friends to play ball, mostly football or baseball.
Many of my friends back then are still my friends today. Healthy friendships they were, back then, as we got to know each other playing sports in the neighborhood.
And re-watching the film made me realize just how important it is for youth to engage with each other in a positive way as we did back then. I think it’s much better than playing endless hours of assault games on an iPhone or iPad as so many kids do today. It also made me think about how one of the most important and enduring things I’ve done in my life was establishing friendships on a patch of grass.
If you’ve never seen the film, you don’t need to go to a theatre to watch the film–as my buddies and I did decades ago. You can find the full-length version below (courtesy of YouTube). It’s a good watch and, perhaps, an even better conversation piece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5e087SefyU&t=2494s
