THE WAVE

The origin of the stadium wave –

So, I’m sitting in the bleachers out beyond left field.  I’m bored.  The sky is blue.  The sun is bearing down and hot.  The grass is green.  The beer is cold.  The game is in the late innings, a pitcher’s duel and no baseball has made it out of the infield.

The Red Sox are up.

I stand up to stretch.  I raise my arms.

The good looking redhead three seats to my left stands up and puts her arms in the air.  She looks over and winks.  She sits down.

I sit down, puzzled.  I stand up and put my arms in the air.  The redhead immediately does the same.

What looks to be a clump of drunk fraternity boys in a center field section all stand up, scream and wave their beers in the air.

Cause and effect?

I repeat.  They repeat, and several people over in the right field bleachers get up and wave their hands.  We are getting the attention of other bored fans.

It starts small, a suggestion.  Then there builds a sense of expectancy to participate, so as not to disappoint.  Even the reluctant ones give in and stand up and wave their hands.  They didn’t think they’d like it, but they do.  It brings a smile and then they laugh.  Everyone watches to their left and cheer as more and more people become part of the phenomenon.

Left field, across to center, through the right field bleachers, down the first base line, around home, screaming out the third base line and veering right at the foul pole and coming again.  Now the whole stadium is involved.

The wave is born.

Why participate?  What’s in it for me?  It’s to be part of something bigger, a collective power that takes on a life of its own.

Literary Wave Making 101 (call to action):

Re: Vacationland  – buy/review/share with all your friends, and have them share with all their friends, ad infinitum.

Let’s get this literary wave going, and see what happens.  It’s the New Year.  Let’s GO!