I was the great bambino

I deep cleaned my room a few weeks ago for the first time all year, and I hit the damn jackpot.

I found buried treasure. Yes, treasure.

What did I find?

Wait for it…

A signed baseball.

Here’s the thing…

Derek Jeter—who I once dreamed of being—didn’t sign the ball.

Neither did any of the ‘09 World Series Champ Yankees. I would have loved if they did.

But no.

This ball was signed by 13 seven year old little leaguers.

Yes, you read that right. 13. Seven. Year. Old. Little. Leaguers.

These weren’t freak athletes winning the little league world series. They were your average (at best) ball players. Nothing special.

So, why was this ball buried treasure?

Because it triggered a memory from my second grade little league days, where I ruled the diamond like The Great Bambino.

Here’s the story…

An undersized seven year old dons his bright yellow uniform and rolled-up pant legs as he walks up to the plate…

It’s the bottom of the last inning of the championship game. And as if it were a movie, the score is tied with the winning run on second base.

A hit wins the game.

A big lefty—big for a seven year old at least—stands on top of the mound, ready to strike out that yellow shirt sucker and send the game into extras.

But that yellow shirt sucker wants to win.

And he wants it bad.

So, when the lefty throws a meatball right down the middle, that little boy cracks a single up the middle and wins the game.

His teammates rush out of the dugout and celebrate as if they’d won the World Series…

Incredible…

…

Okay, I may have dramatized that a bit, but it’s a true story.

I hit a walk off single to win the championship game as a second grader. And after the game, everyone signed the game ball and I kept it.

It was pretty cool, but why am I telling you this story?

Because of the power of nostalgia.

I forgot about that moment.

I forgot I had that ball.

But when I cleaned out the deepest cracks in my room, seeing that signed ball flooded my mind with memories from the past.

And as I kept looking under my bed, I found more and more items that triggered nostalgic memories.

When it comes to money, everything I found is worthless. I mean, that signed ball is probably worth less than a dollar.

But they’re rich in memories.

Nostalgia reminds you of the past. It reminds you of who you used to be and allows you to compare that to who you are now.

As a writer, I try to trigger nostalgic memories in my readers. (Which hopefully I’ve done for you).

Because at the end of the day, nostalgia deepens the relationship I create with you.

But when you find an item from your past that reminds you of who you used to be…

It deepens the relationship you have with yourself.

So, here’s what I want you to do next…

You don’t have to go home and clean your room. But go find one item you haven’t looked at or thought about in a while.

Hold it in your hands and picture the memories you’ve associated with it.

I promise you, that if you do this, you won’t be disappointed.