One of the first times I went out after things had opened up, two friends took me on a day trip to Prince Edward County, a couple hours outside of Toronto. We explored a little shop while waiting for our patio table at a nearby restaurant to become available.
Lining up to buy a spicy mustard for me and jam for my mom, I noticed a giant pickle near the register. Thinking it looked good, I thoughtlessly snatched it - when a man then awkwardly said: ‘Actually, that’s my pickle’.
Looking up, I saw there was someone in front of me buying groceries, and I had in fact, grabbed his pickle. I hadn’t even noticed him there. He kindly pointed out where I could find one myself. Cheeks burning, I thought my worst fears had been confirmed. After so much pandemic isolation, I had become feral. Lost all ability to behave appropriately in a social setting.
Like so many, I became very reliant on social media for connection during the lockdowns. My baseball community, which had until this point been mostly Toronto-based suddenly became international. I planned Zoom drink calls, we had group chats and out of that solidified a strong group of online friends. And so when around November last year I asked on Twitter, ‘should I go to the World Baseball Classic in Arizona’ much to my delight - a number of people responded yes.
Something that had started as a ‘musing’ quickly became reality - with flights and Air BNBs booked. March arrived and before I knew it, I was boarding a plane to Phoenix (via Atlanta, but that’s another story for another day) and it really hit me that I was about to see and live with a bunch of people I had never met before. They were about to spring forth from my phone as fully realized humans.
The nerves started up again. Did I remember how to behave in social settings? Would they think I was a lot older and pear-shaped than they’d thought? Would they care that I was?
And then we met. And it wasn’t awkward at all. It was smooth, it was easy. We all got on amazingly well. We shared stories. We laughed constantly. We watched some really bad baseball (seriously - why did we go to only blowouts??), and the finale of The Last of Us. We ate the Canadian snacks I brought, and candy from Trader Joe’s. We drank a lot of beer.
Four of us took a day trip to the Grand Canyon, and I got to realize a bucket list goal.
I stopped feeling so self-conscious, and aware of myself - and just enjoyed the moments. I think it’s the first time I fully felt myself since before the pandemic started. It was definitely the most present I’ve been in years, the most ‘normal’. I don’t think I looked in a mirror once (sorry if I had food in my teeth).
At the Canada - USA game, there was a group of Canadians sitting behind us waving a flag. We were hopelessly outnumbered in the crowd, Team Canada hopelessly outmatched on the field. I had gone to the concourse to visit with another friend, when Canada was mercy ruled and the game ended early. Meeting up with the group after, one of them had the flag for me, a gift from the group behind us.
We decided to go for a post-game drink. But it was a Monday night, almost everything in downtown Phoenix closed. We wandered off in search of a venue. After about the 4th or 5th place we found closed, I was ready to give up and go home. But they had found an Irish bar that still appeared to be serving.
Finally reaching the one bar that was open, I was immediately stopped by two men on the patio who had spotted the flag. As Canadians do when we meet up traveling, we fired off questions to each other ‘Where are you from, where do you live now, what university did you go to, etc.’. One of them - Ben - and I were at McMaster University together at the same time. Erik, (the other) and I had mutual friends in common.
I plopped myself down at their table, and we spent the rest of the night chatting, telling stories and laughing. It was easily the best time I’ve had in years.
As I got ready for my flight home, I thought about the confluent factors that had to come into play to bring all these disparate people together. A pandemic, a shared love of baseball, a social media site called Twitter. If Canada hadn’t been destroyed by the US, that man never would have given away his flag. If it hadn’t been a Monday night, we would have gone to the closest bar to the stadium after. If I hadn’t been carrying that flag, Erik and Ben never would have noticed me. If, If, If - and yet.
I texted Erik marveling at the amazing series of events that brought us into each other’s lives. That I had met someone randomly on the streets of Arizona who I hoped would be a lifelong friend. He replied with the ‘Faith Fate’ photo.
Thank you to everyone who was part of this trip. It was exactly what I needed.
This was just lovely and makes me happy.
It sounds like a wonderful trip, Ruth. I'm glad that you had what sounds like an unforgettable experience.