4/20: GO YOUR OWN WAY
This weekend we ushered our son off on his first big adventure. It’s very weird as I write this as it is the first day of his journey that he has ever been off totally on his own. The picture above is from the ferry boat as he heads back to his dorm at the Mission Point Resort on Mackinac as we were leaving the island. I have a much bigger appreciation for how difficult it was on my mother when I went to college, 7 hours away from home. This is nothing new in the world of parenting, of course. I always assumed his first dorm experience would be at a college with people his age. Instead, it is in a dorm with men and women of all different ages and experiences…….and you know…..that’s pretty cool as well. He is going his own way.
When I was growing up, I never followed the crowd. Many of the things I liked to do were outside the norm. Primarily among them was juggling. I taught myself how to juggle 3 balls when I was about 10, but it wasn’t until my first co-op experience that I met a friend who could juggle 4 balls and he very quickly got me hooked. About 18 months later I became the 3rd person in the world to ever perform a 7-ball shower pattern.
Here is the only proof I have. VIDEO
Unfortunately, for the juggling purists out there I know they will rat me out as this is not a true full juggle as the last 2 balls needed to be caught in my right hand. But rest assured, there were many other successful attempts. (Sadly, Guiness would not include me in their publication even though I tried.) Interestingly, the first person to ever perform this pattern was a woman on the Isle of Tonga, as juggling in a shower pattern is actually part of the female culture, with the woman able to keep 3 balls going the longest is said to be the next woman to find her husband. Ok, I REALLY digressed there, but I hope you found that interesting.
Where was I? Oh yes, not following the crowd. Doing martial arts as an adult I would say is definitely not following the crowd. One of our Muay Thai students was talking about going into work once with a black eye and getting all kinds of questions. Years ago at work someone else was telling me about someone they worked with that would come in with black eyes and cuts on his face, and they just couldn’t understand. But for those of us that are doing it, it is such a natural part of what we do that I don’t think any of us think anything about it. I’ve gotten to the point in life where I think it’s weird that most other people don’t ever have any visible cuts or scrapes on their bodies. When I was a kid, it seemed like everyone in school had permanent scabs on their elbows and knees, and there was almost always someone in school with an arm or a leg in a cast.
When did it become weird to have bruises and scrapes? I’ve gotten many comments over the years asking me why I do this with the multitude of scrapes and bruises I have received. There are too many reasons to list here. But at the heart of it, I love it and it makes me feel alive. To me, it seems like many more people in today’s society are trying to live the “safe” life. Don’t take any chances. Don’t risk getting hurt. Don’t to things that we’ve been told we are too old to do. Follow the crowd as you get older, find a favorite TV show, chose the “easy” life, and just coast into your twilight years. In my opinion, you need to cast those people aside. Don’t follow the crowd. Don’t stop taking risks. Ignore the naysayers. They just don’t want to be around people that show them the things THEY could have done but chose not to.
Not following the crowd has led me to the best experiences of my life. Taking calculated risks has created a life worth living. Stepping out of my comfort zone has brought so many amazing people into my life. But here is the thing: For that to have occurred, it has also required THEM….ie, YOU…. to step out of your comfort zone as well, because I never would have gotten to know anyone in the gym had you not chosen the road less travelled as well. Follow your dreams, not the crowd. Surround yourself with people that believe in your dreams and will cheer for you as you achieve them. Surround yourself with people that know how to get things done instead of those that say it’s too hard, or the risks are too high. God made you for a purpose, whether you know it or not. Follow Him and his vision for you, the vision that is currently on your heart, the one you know is there whether you have admitted it to yourself or not. He never intended for you to follow the crowd, that’s why there is only one of you.
