I went to my first professional baseball game the other day. I think the Cleveland Indians lost, as they usually do, but I didn't really care.
The best part of the whole game was the entertainment.
First of all, some crazy talented five year old, who still had a little problem pronouncing her Rs, belted out the Star Spangled without missing a word or a note.
I thought about how much confidence she had to have to stand up in front of so many people and sing like that. But maybe it's easy to have a good attitude when you are a beautiful little girl with a beautiful singing voice and a beautiful future.
For someone like The Hot Dog Man, a good attitude is something that is a challenge every day.
The Hot Dog Man is a vendor at the game. He walks up and down the aisles sweating and wiping his forehead and maybe thinking that this isn't quite the job he imagined himself having. Maybe he was laid off from his desk job and took the job selling hot dogs as a way to pay the bills.
Probably when he is getting dressed in his red and white shirt for work every day he thinks of the life he was supposed to have and wonders why it worked out for other people, but not for him.
But then he does something I really admire. He shows up at the job that he is too smart for and puts all the other vendors to shame. He puts on a crazy show for all of the folks who are tired of watching their team drop the ball.
"You want a HOT DOG!," he yells to a row.
"Seventh inning! Buy a HOT DOG!" he demands.
And then he sees me and my companion.
"YOU'RE HUNGRY!" he tells me.
BUY HER A HOT DOG! he screams at my date. "SHE WANTS A HOT DOG!"
I don't want a hot dog. But I want the attitude of The Hot Dog Man.
Did he used to sell vacuums door to door?
ReplyDeleteAh, good lesson. Maybe this is what I will be doing.
ReplyDeleteWho are you Chris? I thought only my relatives read this blog to be nice to me. Become a follower!
ReplyDeleteAhhhh....I am also a follower and I am not related. But I know your sister Jen or do you call her Jenny? I was without a job and then I found a job. But when I was looking for a job everyone told me this next job will be THE ONE that you will love. I don't love my job. In fact every day this week I cried sometime during the day because my job is so very hard mentally and it is with a very large company. I worked about 55 hours this week. I was also feeling badly for myself because I have always taked off the last Friday before the first day of school. I have done this since 1994. I love spending the last day of summer with my kids. I was told this year that I couldn't that I had to take one for the team. I am so afraid I will lose my job again. But I need this job and it's a paycheck. Oh gosh, I probably have written way too much. I so love your blog because it gives me perspective and hope.
ReplyDeleteIt was great to hear your laugh on the audio of this clip about The Hot Dog Man.
ReplyDeleteI did not mean to impose, just curious and enjoy your writing skills. Not sure why I care, just do. You and your sisters have been in my heart for many years and I find it hard when one of you has had any pain. I have experience in deep hardship and despair. Only want to share positive and forward looking attitudes as it is also what I need.
ReplyDeleteChris Hughes
I hope Chris will become a follower and to Jenny's (who likes Jen but old habits die hard with me) friend Mary, I have worked at two flower shops in three months and just interviewed at a third place because I NEED to be happy at work. Keep looking for something else and remember that you deserve to be happy but sometimes it takes lots of work and lots of changes to get there.
ReplyDelete