Sunday Night With John: A Few Good Men And A MVP Named Burt

I woke up on Saturday morning at 8:15 and crawled around 9 bodies in a cabin meant for 6 to get ready for my morning run. I was in Eldora, Iowa a place I have frequented at least once a year for the last 11 years. This year we gathered to celebrate my upcoming wedding.  My college friends, my brother and a friend from Ohio named Burt and 3 friends I have crafted in recent years where all in tow. The plan was to play whiffle ball all day on Saturday.  Yes, you heard me right, whiffle ball!

On Friday night most of us had arrived with two coming in later Saturday morning for the big games. Most of us had stayed up to the wee hours catching up. About five of the guys talked a big game of getting up and running with me including Burt, but I knew Burt was joking. I don’t think he has run anywhere in a long time. 

Ryan a friend I have meet through my fiancée was the only one who was up and ready for the event. We decided to run around Pine Lake and I realized after about three steps my late night was going to affect my ability to run fast this morning. I stayed up with Ryan until we turned to head back and there was a large hill to climb. Ryan began to pull away as I trudged along. I topped the hill and had a wonderful view of the lake and of my life. Last night was full of laughter from the moment Burt and my brother got off the plane. It was made even sweeter because of a surprise fly in from North Carolina by a friend who can’t attend my wedding due to a prior engagement. I began to see a blending of different parts of my life.  My family, my college buddies and my new friends had all come together in one place.

It’s impossible to be in the middle of a weekend with so many good guys and not have the feeling of happiness pumping through your body.  I finished the run and Ryan and I walked back to the cabin to get ready for the day.  There are moments where you hope time slows down so you can enjoy it longer. I’m smart enough to know this weekend was one of them.  I passed out my gifts for the guys; real whiffle ball jerseys where the names on the backs of the jersey were long time inside jokes.

Three whiffle ball games later, Burt won the MVP, which came as a complete surprise to us all.  We spent the rest of the night laughing and we exchanged stories, quoted movies, and suffered through Burt’s snoring one more time.  Life is better when you craft friendships with a few great men and MVP named Burt.