Don’t Let the Chance Slip Away

Photo by Fizkes on Shutterstock

By Drew Becker, www.RealizationPress.com

After an initial examination, I sat in the medical office waiting to see the doctor for a consultation on my cataract surgery. My wife didn’t have her phone, so she was playing Wordle on mine. Another older gentleman joined us in the waiting area, taking a seat across from me. He wore a burgundy golf shirt, carried a four-wheel black walker, and sported a baseball cap with a PP logo. The two Ps intertwined, the one in front sky blue, the other dark blue. We nodded at each other.

“What are the initials on your hat?” I asked.

“They stand for Poly Prep School.”

My wife smiled knowingly, and I thought I vaguely recognized the name. Glancing again at him, I saw that his golf shirt was from an engineering company. I later looked up Poly Prep to find out it was one of the earliest prep schools, a prestigious school in Brooklyn, and its alums and attendees included people like Briton Hadden, co-founder of Time magazine, Arthur Levitt, chairperson of the US Securities and Exchange Commission and chairperson of the American Stock Exchange, and Record Producer Richard Perry. 

Without prompting, he continued. “After I left prep school, I had an invitation to play baseball for the New York Yankees. I tried out and might have played, but I told them I wanted to wear number 9 and they wouldn’t give it to me. The number had been retired after Roger Maris.”

“My goodness,” I replied. “So you were on the field at Yankee Stadium! Impressive. I grew up in Denver, which was home to the farm team for the Yankees, and saw some players who later were regulars and stars on the Yankee team.”

“I also had applied to Yale,” he added, “and got in by the skin of my teeth and with my baseball skills.”

He smiled at me. My wife had gone back to her game on my phone.

This character was engaging, but I wondered if he was spinning a yarn. However, I could not stop listening. His tone was rather matter of fact, not one of bragging, and his voice and demeanor seemed sincere.

I pressed him again to tell me more, but he changed the subject and wanted to know about my cataract surgery. After having surgery on my right eye, I’d returned to set up an appointment for the other eye. I explained my experience with the operation and recovery and then was called in to see the surgeon to discuss a date and what to do in the meantime.

I nodded to the man as I left. I could have gotten his information to continue the conversation later but was distracted. Here was a great story to write, but I missed the opportunity to take advantage. This is a great lesson for writers: that stories surround us daily and we must be ready to recognize them.

Don’t let your next opportunity pass you by.

Drew Becker has self-published five books including The Joyful Brand: Personal Branding for Writers Speakers and the Rest of Us, Write a Non-Fiction Book in 4 Weeks, and Interviewing Quick Guide. He has also been published in Writer’s Digest magazine and included in anthologies: Inspiration for Writers by Writers, Thriving Beyond the Storm, and The TAF Omnibus. He also mentors independent writers and has helped over 30 people publish through his company, Realization Press.