What if?

It was a warm, sunny, pretty much perfect day at the lake. (Is there any other kind?)

The big guys were gone golfing and the ladies were at the beach, relaxing. Only one problem. We had one eight-year-old little boy, who was too small to golf that course but had a big amount of energy.

We had played mini-golf with him (spent a week’s wage on the game, to be exact), gone swimming, built sand castles (which more or less resembled roads – he is the son of a farmer, after all), gone biking, spent time by the lake, played catch with a football... and he still wanted more!

This was only the first hour at the beach. What on earth were we going to do to keep him entertained for the rest of the afternoon?

Well, as a Mom, I did what most women do. I headed to the bathroom, hoping for a few minutes of peace and quiet, and surprisingly he didn't follow me. He stayed on the blanket at the beach with my friend, a Mom of three boys herself. She had another trick up her sleeve. It's called the game of “What If?”.

The game of “What if?” is pretty simple and easy to play (even while suntanning at the beach). You simply ask the question “What if?” and add the rest. It’s up to your imagination. So, the questions went something like this.

1. “If you could play for any hockey team in the world, who would it be?”

After careful thought, and with a Montreal Canadiens shirt on his back, his answer was surprising, yet statistically smart. “Team Canada, because they always win”.

Definitely didn't see that coming from a boy who eats, sleeps and dreams of the Montreal Canadiens, but he has definitely been paying more attention to TSN highlights over the years than I have ever given him credit for.

2. “If you could play for any football team in the world, who would it be?”

“The Saskatchewan Roughriders”. (Apparently, he hasn't been paying attention to the TSN highlights after all.)

Well, there's one fan who hasn't given up hope on them yet. Maybe that's just the sort of thing the team needs to hear right now. Perhaps someone should forward them this article and let them know that not every fan in Saskatchewan has put their season tickets up for sale. In fact, this little guy just went to his first ever Roughrider game two weeks ago and his biggest disappointment wasn't their loss, but the fact that he was sitting up way too high in the bleachers to catch one on those footballs they throw into the crowd.

3. The final question was, “If you could play for any baseball team in the world, which team would it be?”

“I would like to play with the Weyburn Beavers”.

Well, gentlemen of the Weyburn Beavers, you can add that to the list of accomplishments this season.

You have made franchise history, hit the first ever post-season grand slam, scored the most runs in a post-season game, and had your coach receive the Coach of the Year award (deservingly so). Now, after hosting a Beavers’ baseball camp a few weeks ago, that a little boy wearing a Subban T-shirt attended, you have also made that little boy’s bucket list.

Go Beavers!