The year was 1987. I was seven years old with a sunburn so painful that even my eyelids had started peeling, yet there we were under the hot summer sun, waiting for the bus to take us down to the Metrodome where the Twins would play the Brewers. I remember the uniforms on the field, people-watching, doing the wave, and excitedly calling out with the crowd "Kiiiiiirbyyyy PUCKET!" when he was on his way to bat. Now, 21 years later, I was at the Dome again with my family to watch the same teams play ball.
This time around, we were in the cheap seats, and for someone who has recently realized her own selective vertigo, it took some time to be able to feel steady. I can look out of a tall building, or out the window of an airplane, and even switch-back my way up a mountain and love the view from the top- but standing in those seats looking out at the diamond had me feeling like I was one breath away from falling over and landing smack on right field. I could even see in my head ESPN re-playing a clip for weeks of how that blond girl somehow toppled over 20 rows in front of her, bounced over the gate, somersaulted her way through the lower deck and bounded over the next gate only to land on the field where the security guards were waiting to take her away. After making my brother bring me a Coke, cementing myself to the chair, and focusing on a conversation with my aunt, I felt much better. I even stood up to cheer a few times during the game!
Though seeing the Twins lose to the Brewers was not fun, I enjoyed the game. I loved the friendly banter between opposing fans, watching the wave progress around the field, being with my family, the Twins' home run at the end, and eventually... the view from the cheap seats.