Wednesday night’s game four of my baseball trip concluded with a pop up out to center field. Twenty- seven outs. It was a good game; the Atlanta Braves bested the Philadelphia Phillies.

Yesterday I arrived in Philadelphia, site of game four but also the site where this great American experiment came to a head some 246 years ago.

Less than a mile from where I sit, the founding fathers discussed, debated, and argued about next steps in 1776. The eventually came up with a statement, a written declaration, of complaints and desires. The Declaration of Independence was intended for King George III, who never read it. But it didn’t matter the world was in motion, as it still is today. Evolving, changing, succeeding, failing.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

I wonder what the founding fathers would think of where we are as a nation of people today.

As I walked from my hotel to Independence Hall and back, I came across democracy in action, I saw a table gathering signatures for a constitutional convention, I was asked to support a political action group, not once, but twice.

As I listened to the park ranger explain the significance of Independence Hall, I pondered how far we have come as a nation of people in 246 years, and I dreamed of where we will be in another 246 years. To do that we are going to need to discuss, debate, listen, and compromise and come together.

the Liberty Bell and me

the Liberty Bell at Citizens Bank Park

That’s a how baseball team works and if works for a baseball team, it should work for a nation of people.

“Baseball is a lot like life. It’s a day-to-day existence, full of ups and downs. You make the most of your opportunities in baseball as you do in life.” – American Sportscaster, Ernie Harwell

I sat next to a grandpa and his grandson and they, too were on a seven-game tour of ballparks. They are spacing their games out a bit more than me, but they and 25,000 other baseball fans were at the Mets game with me Tuesday night. Small world.

Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd;
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don’t care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don’t win, it’s a shame.
For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out,
At the old ball game.

The seventh inning stretch at Citizens Bank Park.

There are 162 games in a major league baseball season. That’s a lot of ups and downs, and failures and successes. Sometimes your get three strikes, sometimes more, and sometimes less, but you still have to get up and try again.

It’s Thursday morning and I’ll be on my way to Pittsburgh shortly. Today is the longest drive of my trip so far, a little more than 300 miles. I’ll be crossing the Appalachian Mountains, so I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, one baseball game at a time.

How’s your pursuit of happiness going these days?