I really appreciate the feedback I've received over this new project of mine, so I want to lead with that! Thank you! It makes being vulnerable easier when I have supportive people in my life, so thank you for the comments, texts, etc.
This post is going to reflect what I hope for myself after this journey of mine (life) is over. I want to be able to say that I lived. Whatever that looks like, I want to be able to say that I took advantage of my opportunities and I went after what I wanted with each fiber of my being.
You all know that I am extremely passionate (not obsessed) with the Kansas City Chiefs, so it's appropriate that I have something in here featuring that passion. I have a lot of favorite players for different reasons, but there is one that stands out to me above the rest. Eric Berry. Unless you have been living under a rock, you all are very well aware that he was diagnosed with cancer in December of 2014. He was in camp the following summer. He met cancer head on and won the battle of his life... literally. I was on the field holding the flag on the visitor's sideline when they introduced him in the starting lineup at the first home game of the 2015 season... I'm not sure I've ever heard the stadium that loud in my life; and I was there when we broke the world record against the Patriots. The difference here... everyone was cheering, even the Broncos fans in attendance. Because who doesn't have an incredible amount of respect for a person that kicked cancer's ass in 8 months and was back to play the game? Not only was he back to play the game, he played it at an elite level. Chills run up my arms as I type this. It was incredible. HE is incredible. I watched a lot of videos about his return and these are the ones that stuck out to me. The first video is the one that inspired the title of this entries song (although it is included briefly in the 2nd video as well). Berry was named Comeback Player of the Year after beating cancer, and rightfully so. I hope you'll at least watch the second video because the message he sends is incredible. You'll be a better person for it. He's humble. He's honest. He's passionate about what he does. He is an inspiration.
This post is going to reflect what I hope for myself after this journey of mine (life) is over. I want to be able to say that I lived. Whatever that looks like, I want to be able to say that I took advantage of my opportunities and I went after what I wanted with each fiber of my being.
You all know that I am extremely passionate (not obsessed) with the Kansas City Chiefs, so it's appropriate that I have something in here featuring that passion. I have a lot of favorite players for different reasons, but there is one that stands out to me above the rest. Eric Berry. Unless you have been living under a rock, you all are very well aware that he was diagnosed with cancer in December of 2014. He was in camp the following summer. He met cancer head on and won the battle of his life... literally. I was on the field holding the flag on the visitor's sideline when they introduced him in the starting lineup at the first home game of the 2015 season... I'm not sure I've ever heard the stadium that loud in my life; and I was there when we broke the world record against the Patriots. The difference here... everyone was cheering, even the Broncos fans in attendance. Because who doesn't have an incredible amount of respect for a person that kicked cancer's ass in 8 months and was back to play the game? Not only was he back to play the game, he played it at an elite level. Chills run up my arms as I type this. It was incredible. HE is incredible. I watched a lot of videos about his return and these are the ones that stuck out to me. The first video is the one that inspired the title of this entries song (although it is included briefly in the 2nd video as well). Berry was named Comeback Player of the Year after beating cancer, and rightfully so. I hope you'll at least watch the second video because the message he sends is incredible. You'll be a better person for it. He's humble. He's honest. He's passionate about what he does. He is an inspiration.
Side note: I got his autograph at camp this year (insert happy dance here)!
Ok, this isn't a Chiefs blog. You can head over to Arrowhead Pride if you want to read my blog posts about the Chiefs... this is a me blog, so let's get back to that.
"I owned every second that this world could give. I saw so many places, the things that I did. With every broken bone, I swear I lived."
Those are my favorite lyrics in the song. When my journey has ended and I am pushing up daisies, I want my tombstone to say, "I lived." I want to be known for taking advantage of every opportunity that I was given. I don't expect every opportunity to be exceptional. I don't expect every opportunity to even be a positive experience. But, with every opportunity, I want to learn something new about myself and those around me. I want to go after what I want without letting fear rear its ugly head in an attempt to defeat me.
With this new overhaul of myself, I have held strongly to this song in particular. I spent much more of my life being lazy than I'd care to admit. There were weekends I would stay home intentionally so that I could spend the entire weekend in my pajamas. Don't get me wrong, that's amazing sometimes! But when I say I spent the entire weekend in my pajamas, I meant that I rarely left the couch. I didn't care about my home being dirty or laundry and dishes that needed done. I didn't have any motivation to cook, so I'd order delivery or just microwave some frozen dish. Or... I was always stocked up on the unhealthy stuff... sweets, chips, etc. Why not have a bag of Doritos for supper? Who cares? I certainly didn't.
I have seen some really incredible places. I have hiked Machu Picchu. I have paraglided in the Andes. I have seen the Colosseum in Rome and ridden a gondola in Venice. I've experienced the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona. I've seen the saucy side of Amsterdam and climbed the stairs of Anne Frank's house. I have island-hopped in Greece. I saw Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers in Ireland and toured the Guiness Brewery in Dublin. I got to witness Las Fallas in Valencia. I've seen Eminem 4 times in my life, 3 of those times from the front row. There are countless things that I can say that I have done and have contributed to me growing as an individual. I have tried foods from every country that I've been to, some that really made my stomach roll thinking about it! But I tried it because I refuse to say "I don't like that" never having tried it.
I feel like this is a long-winded way for me to say that it took me 34 years to decide that what I need to value is not in the materialistic things. They are certainly supporting roles in my personal legend that are very valuable to me. I, however, have discovered that what makes me happy on this inside is what I want to represent my life, if that makes sense. I want to be known as a good person. I want to be an example to others that you cannot judge a book by its cover. Every single person has a story that we know NOTHING about. You may get angry because the person at the pharmacy in Dillon's was an asshole to you. Did you stop to consider that perhaps she just found out she lost her baby? Or maybe she's being an asshole because she has to go home to an asshole of a partner that treats her disrespectfully or even physically abuses her? What do you really know about their story? Have you ever found yourself rolling your eyes as you stand behind someone in line at Target trying to manage 3 children on her own: one is crying, the other is trying to take some gum from the shelf to the right of the checkout, and the third one is begging his mother because he REALLY wants that Transformers toy? Rather than be annoyed, have you considered that maybe she is trying to juggle three jobs with the three kids because her husband was killed in a car wreck two months ago? The point is, you have NO IDEA what each person is going through. What I want to do with my life is be a positive example in any way that I can. Kindness, in any form, is not going to kill you and takes very little effort. You may never know how much weight a smile or a quick compliment can carry for someone who is on the brink of losing it. Why not try? That's the type of person I want to be. I want to be able to say that I took advantage of every opportunity to be a kind and honest person. I want to take the stories of the people I encounter and learn from them. I'm nowhere near perfect in this area, but I'm improving my own sense of awareness and that is a very solid start to becoming something greater.
Don't get me wrong, I have a large bucket list of physical places that I want to go and things that I want to experience or see. But while I am there, I want to take the opportunity to learn from their culture, their customs, their traditions, etc. I want to practice kindness all over the world and see some of the beauty that this world has along the way.
I am going to close because this is really long. And to be honest, I'm not sure if it's as organized as I would like, but I'll just have to accept that.
"Fear Nothing. Attack Everything." -Eric Berry
EB doing work in the top picture, but the bottom picture is the most profound photo... He kneels there in the end zone after warm ups before every game. He's the last one to leave the field before joining the team in the locker room. Reports say he spends his time being grateful for the time he has been given to continue the game of football. He is also mentally preparing for the game. This guy is who I want to be like when I grow up. If I can carry the characteristics and traits of such a humble and inspirational man throughout my life, I will count myself blessed. Always stay humble and kind.
Thanks for reading!
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