2015! Wow, I remember the 2014 celebrations like it was a few weeks ago. I was working at Walt Disney World at the time and I was squished between thousands of people who joyously hugged and kissed each other when the fireworks took off into the midnight sky (please let out an “awww” here). It was, not ironically, magical. For some reason, I am able to recall what I was doing every New Year’s Eve for the past five years vividly. Since this is the case, I never cease to be amazed at how quickly 365 days pass. For this reason, my dedication to enjoying the remaining eight months of Challenge Detroit has been heightened even more.

In that vein, I am going to discuss a philosophical thought based on a phrase one of my high school basketball coaches often said. Coach Clubb often oscillated between being a friendly guy and taking the form of Bobby Knight (except he never choked someone or threw a chair. This has been an intended jab at any IU fan). Nevertheless, he taught me a lot about basketball and being a young man. The piece of advice he uttered that I’ve carried with me since was “You’ll figure out everything about the game after your body is done playing”. That didn’t mean much to me at the time but goodness, it’s the damn truth. After my high school career finished and I played recreationally in college, it was as if a light bulb popped on. My roommate in college (who was a high school teammate of mine) and I had a more contentious attitude on the court, we broke down players easier, and  we ran people out of the gym. Our bodies weren’t “gone”, but we weren’t playing competitively anymore so work with me here. I tell this story because I think this philosophy has come into play during the past couple of years of my life with where I am at. After college I moved to Orlando, and then Colorado, and now Michigan. I’ve been lucky to create opportunities that allow me to anticipate a next move and, therefore, there has been something new waiting for me on the horizon – a new internship, a new city, a new living situation, and new friends to make. Thus, it’s been hard to entirely realize the meaning of a place until after leaving it and it becomes a “You don’t realize what you’re doing until you stop doing it” phenomenon. Every pit stop so far has provided immaculate friendships, fascinating attractions to see, and new ideologies to entertain and it is vital to grasp that.

Nowadays, even though I am cognizant of this thought, it will be extremely difficult to totally comprehend my current lifestyle until it has changed. For instance, all of my free time is up for grabs right now. I have the option of choosing clubs to belong to, times to hit the gym, when to read, when to play the piano, and when to spontaneously change plans to do something else instead. If I become a family man one day, this will all change (more than I realize I’m sure. Shoutout to all the great parents.). To sit down and think about all the time you have to improve yourself right now is crazy! You may never have this much time again once a special person walks into your life (and that’s not a bad thing). I’m making sure I try to realize what I’m doing right now. I work four days a week for a solid environmental firm and help out non-profits in Detroit on Fridays with 34 other fascinating individuals. These are people who are willing to talk about politics, human rights, race, economics, the role of government, and then grab a drink afterwards. Pretty cool I say.