today is the day!!
the other day I went to the big sports store to buy baseball gear for my kid’s first little league season.
first season. big moment for him.
the place was chaos. parents everywhere. kids swinging bats in the aisles. helmets falling. the usual.
somehow I survived the mission and made it to checkout.
1/
nice lady scanning all the stuff.
I’m distracted. tired dad mode. not feeling fancy. just thinking about getting home.
she scans everything. applies the little league 20% coupon.
then she asks:
“are you excited for the season to start?”
2/
and in my most lifeless voice possible I say:
“yeah… my kid’s first baseball thing. let’s see how it goes.”
flat. zero energy. robot dad.
she pauses and says:
“no, I mean… the Formula 1.”
points at my Red Bull Racing jacket.
3/
and suddenly my brain boots up.
“oh! yeah. I’m actually super excited.”
now we’re talking drivers.
“so… are you rooting for Checo with Cadillac? or still Red Bull?”
full conversation mode.
5?/
drivers. teams. expectations.
she says everyone thinks Cadillac will struggle, but she thinks they might surprise people.
then somehow we end up talking about data.
turns out she studied physics and math. her boyfriend is a mechanic.
so now we’re deep into lap times, tiny adjustments, how a small change here means seconds there.
at some point I start getting nervous people in line will complain.
and then I notice something funny.
my voice.
5/
one minute earlier I sounded like a zombie buying baseball socks.
now I sound like a podcast host explaining aerodynamics.
funny how fast energy comes back when you hit a topic you love.
everyone has one that turns the lights back on.
today is the day. happy racing.
Maho Pacheco
J_Moore
𝘁𝗼𝗺