See “original” Daily Sports article here / デイリースポーツの日本語版はこちら
As a university lecturer, I hear a lot about my students’ lives outside of school. The most common thing my freshmen talk about is their part-time jobs. It makes sense – for most of them, this is their first time earning any sort of income, and it’s exciting.
For me, though, working was already old hat by the time I got to university. My parents always told me, if you want stuff, you need to do it with your own money. So I worked. In fact, I earned my first paycheck as an 11-year old newspaper boy. Growing up in the middle of nowhere in Canada meant there were no strict time requirements for newspaper delivery, so I got the job done during my lunch hour and after school. In fact, before I got to university, I had also worked on a strawberry farm, cleaned toilets at a country club, and washed dishes in a restaurant.
Even now as a full-time worker and a middle-aged man, I occasionally work part-time. The most interesting part-time job I have had is wedding pastor. In fact, just the other weekend, I was at a chapel in Ashiya, standing in front of two young people and their close relatives and friends, celebrating their love for each other.
I’ll admit to you, this is probably my favorite part-time job ever. There is nothing more joyful than being with a couple on the most important day of their lives. Though they embark on their journey together from this day on, they know little of what lies ahead. There will be lots of ups, but there will also be plenty of downs.
And it got me thinking… my relationship with the Hanshin Tigers is a little like a marriage:
I met her for the first time and fell in love at first sight. I was interested in everything about her, wanting to know all the details of her personality. Even when I found out about her checkered past, I thought to myself, “Wow, I’m glad that’s not who she is NOW.” Still, I was able to accept the darkness of her past, even growing more fond of her because of it. And at that, we tied the knot. The honeymoon was spectacular.
But things don’t always go how I hope they will. There are times of frustration. There are times when I feel like she’s downright sick. There are times when I feel like she’s absolutely poor. There are times when I wonder if I can stay with her all the days of my life.
And in due time, I come to my senses. I realize that I love her even though she frustrates me at times. We have a history together. Ultimately, I can’t imagine my future without her, either.
So I stay with her despite the hardships. Sometimes I’m not sure why, but deep down, I know it’s the right decision. Things will not always be this bad. There will be good times up ahead.
Sound familiar? Actually, I was not describing my marriage, but my life as a Hanshin Tigers fan. Does your story bear any resemblance to mine?
If so, I ask you: “Do you, dear Tigers fans, take this organization to be your baseball club, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?”
