{"id":50432,"date":"2026-03-01T12:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T17:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/?p=50432"},"modified":"2026-02-25T12:59:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T17:59:43","slug":"the-grandparent-leagues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/the-grandparent-leagues\/","title":{"rendered":"The Grandparent Leagues"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Dotting My Teas By: Marlene Oxender<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you seen the online video that looks like a horse race is about to begin? But the gates swing open, and there are no horses. It\u2019s people who are shooting out of the gates. And the people are older. It\u2019s the Grandparents\u2019 Derby. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I watched it several times before forwarding it to my teenage grandson Toby. We laughed as we exchanged thoughts about how well grandparents could do in sports \u2013 given a chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He agreed it\u2019d be fun to see the roles reversed. Grandchildren would call their grandparents at the beginning of the season to find out their schedule. The grandchildren would sit in lawn chairs on the sidelines, and the grandparents would play ball. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a grandparent gets a swing and a hit, the children will yell \u201cRun!\u201d in hopes they\u2019ll make it to first base before the grandparent in the outfield retrieves the ball and throws it in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the game, the grandchildren would be there to offer a hug and a high five. There\u2019d be discussion about the way the game went. About how their knees held up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s likely already been a screenplay written about the Grandparents\u2019 League. There wouldn\u2019t be the need to hire great actors; the acting would take care of itself by the seniors simply playing ball.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My grandson Deano laughed with me as we discussed what it\u2019d be like to see grandparents playing sports. He told me he\u2019d pay big money to watch Grandma and Grandpa\u2019s games. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I imagine grandchildren would put our photos on social media and brag about us. They\u2019d go ahead and say that their grandparents are way cooler than anyone else\u2019s grandparent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grandparents would order reprints of their photos \u2013 in wallet size. Maybe we\u2019d make a baseball card out of our photo. And we\u2019d order extra prints in case the grandchildren would like one for their refrigerator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Do you suppose those who had a competitive spirit back in the day would show us how much they haven\u2019t changed? One thing sure to change is our vocabulary. When we\u2019re young, a hurdle is something we jump over during a track meet. When we\u2019re old, a hurdle is something we\u2019ve overcome. We\u2019ve also jumped through plenty of hoops along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a sports program were handed out at the grandparents\u2019 games, the children would thumb through it to find their grandparents\u2019 photos and read the statistics. By the time we\u2019re senior citizens, our wins and losses have taken on new meaning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we\u2019re young, we plan for a great life with plenty of wins. When we\u2019re older, we know how it turned out. We know how many bad calls we overcame. How many strikes. How many hits and how many misses. How many times we were there for the save.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so it goes \u2013 the game of life. Full of wins and losses. Full of times we ran the bases with ease. And times we knew we\u2019d better slide into base, make the dirt fly, and hope we hear the word \u201csafe\u201d yelled rather loudly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of us learn the game of baseball at a young age when an adult helps us find a glove that fits and a bat that\u2019d work best for us. We learn to stand at home plate and keep our eye on a ball that\u2019s thrown at us. We make the quickest decision we\u2019ll ever make \u2013 to swing or not to swing.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve heard it said that the reason a professional player can be successful at hitting a baseball that\u2019s coming at him at 90 miles an hour is the intelligence of the body. Embedded in our neurology is a consciousness that is responsive to the environment \u2013 independent of our brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if we become strong enough, we\u2019ll hit the ball out of the park, put the bat down, and run the bases. We\u2019ll cross home plate and add a home run to our statistics; If the bases were loaded, it\u2019s a grand slam.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Metaphorically speaking, we can apply the skill of hitting it out of the park to everything we do. Through our own intelligence. Through our body consciousness. And therein lies the beauty of becoming a senior citizen who still runs the race. Who still plays along \u2013 even if it\u2019s from a lawn chair. Who still offers some wisdom learned along the way by hollering, \u201cGood eye\u201d and \u201cRun\u201d to the children on the baseball diamond. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a lot of love packed into those words flying 90 miles an hour through the air. The children hear words of encouragement and feel the love of those who\u2019ve gathered. The love of those who are reminded of the days when they, too, played ball.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marlene Oxender is a writer, speaker, and author. She writes about growing up in the small town of Edgerton, her ten siblings, the memorabilia in her parents\u2019 estate, and her late younger brother, Stevie Kimpel, who was born with Down syndrome. Her three published books, Picket Fences, Stevie and Grandma, You Already Am Old, are available on Amazon. Marlene can be reached at mpoxender@gmail.com<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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