a friday night for the soul...

It was unexpected, and beautiful.
And it was the Friday night I needed.

The two of us on a journey through a soaking rain, arrived at our destination that was somehow bathed in golden sun. And we sat, people watching. Pirate fans, confused Bear fans, and a few that were, perhaps, at the wrong game all together. We laugh, roll eyes, and chat, and then don't. In the just us, my heart sings. No one to keep track of, no one to impress...just us, and I feel the golden sun wrap 'round my soul.  I suppose that is love, still.

The players run and throw and catch... warming up for the big game, but then, our main event arrives and our eyes flitter through a sea of green and black until they settle on our favorite percussionist. There he is, tall and strong. And the just us stretches to include him from afar.

The silence comes, and it is the first of it I've really heard all season. It is, still, my favorite. That one small moment after the rustling of hats being removed and hands finding their way to heart, and before the drum roll. It moves me... always.

In Florida, fall does not adhere to the calendar's schedule, but tonight, a breath of cool wound its way south, covering and refreshing us. Jacket in hand, I wrestled. Do I put it on because I can? Or do I enjoy air?  Embracing the right now, I let the breeze rush over and through me, and left the jacket across my lap. Occasionally I toss it aside to stand and cheer...because tonight, the game is good.

The sea of green and black descends the stands and line the field for the half-time show, and we point and nudge with there's our Cam! as if it's been weeks instead of hours since we last laid eyes on him.  But this is his time... and while we cheer for all 250, he is our star, the reason we came. We laugh and our hearts soften when we spot him smiling and enjoying the rhythm, abandoning the serious face of concentration. And when his eyes are seeking, and he finally spots us in the crowd, it is something beyond words. To be found is a gift, and the joy that follows is the ribbon that wraps it.

It was unexpected, and beautiful.
And, truly, just the Friday night I needed...