On the subway, going to see the Mets:
RC:
What is the best stadium you’ve seen so far and why?
DC:
Fenway, because it was so simple and natural.
RC:
What did you think about meeting those young ladies at the gas station last night?
DC:
It was like a dream. I’m still kind of blinking and wondering if it really happened. They were so full of life and so full of the journey they were on -- kind of a similar journey. It was remarkable.
RC:
You said the other day that there are too many coincidences.
DC:
There was another example of it. There have been a number of them along the way and I’m constantly surprised with how closely they align themselves with what we’re doing. And how compatible they are. It seems extraordinary.
RC:
So does that change any belief systems you had? Has this trip changed any of your belief systems about anything?
DC:
I think about compassion and...people are more compassionate than I would have expected. And when they’re allowed to be, they’re more thoughtful.
RC:
What do you mean “when they’re allowed to be”?
DC:
Well, it’s opening up to them. Inviting them into your world.
RC:
So this trip has forced you to open yourself up more?
DC:
Oh definitely. And it was interesting in Minneapolis meeting with the Parkinsonians, Jack said more than once that the disease tends to cause him to pull himself into his circle of comfort. And he was thankful we were having the event we were having because it was something he wouldn’t normally do. And of course we’re doing something that I wouldn’t normally do -- much larger than a trip to the ballpark. It’s a trip around the country. It’s a natural thing when your abilities are becoming less to find comfort in the familiar but it’s also...it’ll end up...maybe that’s what John Trudeau meant when he said “Don’t let the disease eat you.”
RC:
So are you still thinking about that a little bit?
DC:
Oh sure. That’s one of the ones that resonates. There’s less I can do about the physical part. There’s more I can do with the mental part. That’s to keep the thought process going and to take care of myself, but not limit myself.
RC:
Gary had some good takes -- our friend from the lake in Minnesota. His level of activity -- he’s almost hyperactive and he’s been diagnosed for 15 years and has some pretty serious dyskinesia and yet his creativity and how prolific he is are astounding.
DC:
I have a hard time imagining what he’d be like if he were not a Parkinsonian. He probably would have built a castle or something -- I don’t know.
RC:
He might anyway.
DC:
I don’t see how he could be any more active. That’s just very heartening.
RC:
What were your thoughts at the Field of Dreams when you walked in?
DC:
I was surprised at how unartificial it was. The corn got to me more than anything else. The house, the backstop, I couldn’t smell it, but it looked like it smelled right. It didn’t look like a set and of course it was a set and now it’s something else. I have an idea of a set being something that has a front side you photograph and a backside you don’t. You could photograph any side of this and it was very real.
RC:
Contrast your thoughts of when we first discussed the project to where the project is now -- in terms of your thought of it’s success.
DC:
It’s kind of like filling in a blank page. We started with an outline and now there’s lots of textures and colors. So there’s an awful lot more to it. The things that we’ve already discussed that I couldn't’ have anticipated and many more. And then the thing I’ve said before is the biggest surprise is the people. Baseball is -- we saw a great game last night for instance -- but the richness of the trip is coming from meeting, talking to the people of all kinds -- not just Parkinsonians. Those girls last night, for instance. And Paulette just so you know, we didn’t touch them.
RC:
Yeah Paulette and Annamaria. They touched us. But we couldn’t do anything about that. But we didn’t touch them.
Park Number 18 (of 30)
Shea Stadium
Atlanta 4, New York Mets 3
WP: M. Hampton (6-8) LP: S. Trachsel (9-7)
Oak 9, Tex 2
Atlanta 4, New York Mets 3
WP: M. Hampton (6-8) LP: S. Trachsel (9-7)
Oak 9, Tex 2
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