Thankful for a lot

A while ago, I wrote about being consistently inconsistent. Well, I proved it. There was a moment that I had consistently been writing, happily telling stories of former players and then pontificating on things that just popped in my head and wouldn’t leave. Then, I allowed life to intervene. Isn’t that what we all say? Life got in the way! Life happened! It did, and we plowed on as a family. A job was left for opportunity years in the making, a battle has been fought and won, classes were taken and the desired outcome has been achieved, a hurricane delayed the outcome of a goal, and we have a horse that drinks a beer daily. All of these put a strain on the family unit, but each was worked through with diligence and the care necessary to achieve a goal satisfactory to the standard desired.

That leads me to today. Every time a blog was skipped I felt guilty. I want to get the story of my former players out because each of them is a great guy doing remarkable things. The thoughts that stay trapped in my mind cause havoc and once I get them on paper the lunacy evaporates. It is a weird dynamic that I wish on no one else. My poor wife lives with it and her pain can only be described as excruciating. Guilt is a funny thing. The entire reason I wouldn’t blog is because I had not completed my real estate licensure work. I had taken the class and was ready to take the test, but the first paragraph paralyzed my progress. Whether some was legit, and some was self-induced it halted the next step in my life according to my staircase. In reality, the staircase stopped on a couple of extra floors before I reach the top. Since I hadn’t achieved my real estate license I stopped doing everything I enjoy. I wouldn’t read my book in the morning. By the way, I am reading The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell currently and it is an informative read. I wouldn’t blog, fly the drone, workout, or any other thing I enjoy. The reason; if I have time to do this stuff I can study for the State exam. The final straw came a few weeks ago and I decided to go give it a shot and see what happens. I passed but wasn’t even excited because all I could think about was how much time I had wasted waiting for the right time. I never considered that everything happens for a reason and to embrace the challenges that had been placed in my way along the way.

Even though I wasn’t doing stuff I truly enjoy I was keeping up with the social media world and my former players. I have been almost like a fervent religious fanatic when it comes to staying in contact with them. The social media stuff is just entertaining. You guys have some funny thoughts and your cryptic messages are as entertaining as your personalities. To end this post, I am going to highlight three men who I have been following for a good while.

All three went to the same high school I did, attended at least part of the time I was there, and have become successes in their chosen fields. The first is a straight up bad ass. When he was in high school I believe there was talk about owning a bar. Well, he accomplished that and then parlayed that into a bigger bar and a lot of us ended up eating in his multiple locations. He also ran or was a part of a magazine I wanted to be in so badly. Now, he has a beautiful family, posts about working hard and finding people to work hard with him, feeds your kids in schools, and supplies the healthy stuff that more of us should be eating daily. The second one I did not know too well but he also attended school around the same time as me. I thoroughly enjoy seeing his banter with the unruly neighbor, his passion for the entrepreneur lifestyle, and his relentless pursuit of the happy complete life. Sometimes the picture we thought we saw ages and shows a completely different dimension when revisited years later. Lastly, is a guy that I knew but he was closer with my cousin and his family during our youth. He too has chased the business glory and moved out of state to do so. Recently he showed incredible resolve regarding a family matter that cannot get any closer. His steadfast love, willingness to share the moment publicly, and his heartfelt sentiment has been amazing to watch. His love of his family during such loss has made me just want to hug mine tighter because like they say, “You just never know.”
These three guys are just an example of what I see when I scroll through the social media platforms and I look forward to their thoughts and adventures each time I get the chance to see them. It is a refreshing change from the negative that so often infiltrates us and seems to be the norm. I appreciate these three for being abnormal in the best way possible. Oh yeah, I have passed my state licensure and will be joining Michelle at Century 21 At Your Service Realty as her partner and not just her back-office assistant. The new journey is just beginning but I look forward to the challenge and working towards a common goal with my wife daily. If you are wanting to sit down and have a beer just come on out to the barn and you and Rio can have a beer in his stall. Enjoy your family, create the life you want, and be who you are. Actually, be the best you possible. We’ll get over the fact that you aren’t who we want you to be.