It seems like there's a perfect time for everything. A perfect time to get married; to start raising kids; to have sex; to get your first credit card; to take out your first mortgage; to go back to school. In the grand scheme of things, though, many of us don't realize that there's also a perfect time to die. Sounds messed up, right? Tell me about it.
Shannon Stone, 39, died last Friday. While at a Texas Rangers home game with his son, Stone leaned over the left field railing in hopes of shagging an out-of-play ball thrown by outfielder Josh Hamilton. Stone, in a frenzy to shag the ball for his six-year-old son, fell over the railing, plummeting a depth of twenty feet. Stone's fall, which was captured on television, occurred during the second inning of the game; by the ninth inning, he was pronounced dead.
The other day, my mom told me something that, although not comforting, is an undeniable truth of life: When it's your time to go, it's your time to go. Here's what I mean:
a) The game between the Oakland Athletics and the Texas Rangers, which Stone and his six-year-old son attended, was not a part of either teams' regular schedules. Shortly before July 8th, officials decided that both teams would meet on the aforementioned date to make-up an earlier game that had been canceled.
b) The ball that Stone was trying to reach was originally hit foul into the left field area by the Oakland Athletics batter. The ball ricocheted off of one of the ballpark's side walls, took a few bounces onto the outfield green, and ended up in the hands of Rangers left fielder Josh Hamilton.
c) Josh Hamilton, the Rangers outfielder who threw the ball into the stands, is known for ignoring the plight of many fans who ask for out-of-play balls. After hearing Stone shouting, "Hamilton, how 'bout the next ball?" earlier that game, Hamilton felt obliged to abandon his usual routine. He was trying to make Stone's day.
Forget about it. When it's your time, it's your time. There's no going around it. Whatever a person's religion or belief system, he or she has a fate that they must adhere to. If you need a freaky example of this notion, a) b) and c) above beckon us to examine the fact that when it's our time to go, it's our time to go.
This incident is something that really shocked me considering I see a lot of myself and my dad in Shannon Stone and his son Cooper. When I began to follow the blitz of media buzz following this terrible tragedy, I found myself a little bit depressed. But what you are saying here is right, whether you believe in God, Mohammed, or Buddha your going to die at the precise moment that it is your time to go. Great post Bryan.
ReplyDeleteExactly. I definitely thought a lot about my baseball fanatic friends (namely you), and came to the conclusion that this really could have happened to ANYONE. I put myself in his son's shoes and can't even stomach the thought of seeing my father suffer such a tragedy. It definitely sucks to come to terms that what's meant to be is meant to be, but unfortunately (and for reasons we maybe don't understand) that's life.
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