by Molly Jo Realy (@MollyJoRealy)

“The Voice is back.” ~ Ray Kinsella, Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella
(Field of Dreams)

“But I have nothing to say.” ~Molly Jo Realy, by Molly Jo Realy [insert hopeful laughter here]

Recently (and by recently, I mean, today) I read a short post on Instagram from Jenn at Mixtus Media. The image was captioned, “Readers want to hear from you!” (Click the quote. I double-dog dare you!) She knows how to get my attention. Don’t believe me? Check out our annual Xanadu watching tradition. Okay… It’s not so much a watching-the-movie tradition. More of a “Hey, I heard ELO on SiriusXM today so I thought of you” memo tradition. [Click here to read Eight Things XANADU Taught Me About Creative Endurance.]

August 12 was record-breaking in baseball. My favorite sport collided with my favorite movie. What’s even more significant is that I almost missed it. Almost. But didn’t. Mom knows me (her audience). She knew I’d want to know about the game, so she sent me a quick message. I went to work. Took lunch and worked on two articles. Finished work. Went to church group. Forgot all about researching the game. Flash-forward to our nightly call and she reminded me. Only thing is, she didn’t remember when it was going to happen.

Mom: Did you check out the game yet?
Me: No. I’ll check online after our call.
Mom: I just thought of you when I heard about it. They built a small stadium in the corn field, I guess.
Me: *going online while still on the phone* *gasp* *GASP* It’s on! Like, right now! AND IT’S THE YANKEES!
Mom: I guess I should hang u—
Me: *click*

The game was live, and at the Seventh Inning Stretch. Thing is, I don’t have cable TV. So I searched. Paramount+? Nope. Peacock? Not even. So I did what every non-cable household does: I Googled “How to Watch Field of Dreams Game live.” Voila: Enter Fox Sports. Yes! Free for one hour. A quick mental calculation, and I signed on to watch the game on my laptop. For one hour. One. Hour.

Have I mentioned I’m better with words than I am with math?

It was just like old times. Mom and I continuously calling each other. “Did you see that?” “Whoa, what a hit!” “Now it’s a ball game!” And I’m holding my breath. Because it’s not going as fast as it should. And it’s only the top of the Ninth. And I have four minutes and thirty-eight seconds of free viewing. Mom says I can always see the headlines tomorrow. I’m. Going. To. Die.

I know ~ I know ~ Mr. Kinsella (the author, not the character) wouldn’t want that for me. He’d want me to keep writing. In fact, he told me so. (#truestory: I met him in college and got so tongue-tied. He laughed sweetly and encouraged me. What a guy!) What to do?! The game must go on! I must watch it!

The current a-ha! moment happened so smoothly: I pulled the game up on my iPad. Smaller screen, but who cares? IT’S THE YANKEES! AT THE FIELD OF DREAMS! I MUST WATCH IT! And to think I thought of selling my almost-never-use-it tablet. I’m sorry, B2. It’ll never cross my mind again.

The scoring was intense. I caught the game when it was Yankees-1, White Sox-4. Then a hit. A catch. A home run. A foul. A run. Back and forth. #itsanailbiterfolks

Of course (spoiler alert!) the Yankees lost, 8-9. But what a game! Any other game and I’d be heartbroken at the loss, but there’s something so magical and majestic and full-circle that it was the White Sox who won the first Field of Dreams Game. #byebyeblacksox I mean, Shoeless Joe and all that. Did I tell you he used to live and play here in Greenville? He’s buried here. Yup. Been to his grave a few times.

Anyway. The Voice is back.

As I’m sure you can tell.

Here’s another correlation (translation: Never Give Up. Never Surrender. Oh, wait. That’s a different movie. #GalaxyQuest) [And now, by Grabthar’s Hammer, I know what I’m watching on DVD tonight.]

Wanna know what else is coming back? The Firsts in Fiction Podcast.

Can I get a whoop, whoop?!

The previous episodes are still available on Aaron Gansky’s website. About a year ago (post-COVID, pre-appendectomy, for those of you following my before-and-after roller coasters), Aaron and I had a chat. He’d offered FiF to me before, but this time I thought I was ready to take over. I didn’t move forward with it, because I wasn’t really in the game. It was more like the warm-up. So here we are at the Seventh Inning Stretch, and I’m revitalized and ready to broadcast! Tessa Emily Hall has agreed to return as co-host. We don’t have the full format laid out yet, but stay tuned (see what I did there?) and we’ll keep you updated.

The World Series is on the horizon, folks, but the teams are still vying for their place. So you know what I gotta say here, right? “Wait a minute. Wait a minute, I tell ya. You ain’t heard nothin’ yet!” Al Jolson was the first to do “talkie” movies, and it was a musical! You go, Al!

Point is, it’s never too late to rediscover yourself.

Your purpose. Your bliss. It’s never too late to take steps ~ retrace them if you have to ~ to regain what you thought you lost, and reach your people. Change the channel. Change the game plan, but not the win. Whatever you do in life, do it well. And do it again. And if you falter, that’s okay. As Pops says, “You can always quit. You just can’t stay quit.” So keep on keeping’ on. This only your Seventh Inning Stretch, and you might just win the ball game if you don’t give up.

Stick around folks. We got stories. We got podcasts. We got writing tips and recipes and movie reviews and all kinds of random thoughts I promise will tie in together before it’s all over.

And right now, we got Voice.

How do you like them apples?

YOUR TURN TUESDAY:  What’s something you want to (re)start doing?

Come alive and stay wild,

Author of the romantic location mystery novel, NOLA, Molly Jo Realy is an award-winning writer and author coach. Known as the Bohemian Hurricane, she encourages people to embrace their unique talents to come alive and stay wild every day. Addicted to cats, coffee, and pens in no particular order.

Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more fun!

BTW: At the end of each post, I will share social media or marketing links. Like this Amazon Affiliate link to this nifty Zoom Hn1 digital recorder and accessory collection. I was recently blessed with this from a fan who believes in my voice. Now THAT’S encouragement!