A family friend gave me this bracelet as part of my graduation gift this year. It reads, “DREAM BIG WORK HARD,” part of the fantastic marketing done by the JJ Watt Foundation. Ironically enough, I threw it on this past Tuesday as I officially began my travel season for work. At the end of the third school I was visiting (and the last for the day), a student asked me a dozen or so questions about my alma mater. The last question was this:
So what’s the story about your bracelet?
I hadn’t really thought about it hard enough to even come up with an intelligent response, but I did somehow have the sense to say this:
Oh this? Well, a family friend gave it to me. From the JJ Watt Foundation. I figured today is my first day meeting with students like yourself, so I thought it’d be a solid reminder for me. Couldn’t hurt, right?
These last few weeks have been so busy folks. I’ve been going 180 miles an hour, but I am absolutely loving it. I feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be, and you know what? That feeling takes a long time to achieve. Let me tell you. Trust me. I think that I had my quarter life crisis early–T God. I told some parents that this week, and they thought it was funny. So I’m going to stick with that joke. At least it brings some much needed laugher, am I right?
Yesterday, I spent nearly an hour looking up recipes for my new smoker/barbecuer. Ever have those moments where you somehow find yourself in a rabbit hole of mindlessness, whether it be Wikipedia searches, YouTube videos, or other random ass content on the Internet? Raise your hands high. We’ve all been there. I also think that’s how we cope. That’s how we deal with the craziness of our lives. It’s weird because as I do it, I know that my mind is subconsciously thinking about something else or someone else so hardcore. It’s like those times at the end of the day when we’ve been so entrenched in work, and we finally sit down, and then we finally realize what we’ve actually been thinking about. I am 24 years old, with a new job, meeting new people, doing all sorts of new things. And new can be tough. Whether it’s new friends, new places, new responsibilities. Change can be tough, even when you’re going back to someplace that you absolutely love.
A few weeks ago, I noticed a student who appeared to be hitting a rough patch. We all have those days, and I knew that I, out of anyone, could most easily relate. I went over and did a brief check-in, just to make sure that the world was going to be okay. It made me realize how much I love human interaction, how much I love being in the presence of others. It also made me realize how much we need to be on the lookout for one another. In today’s world, so many feel alone, so many feel unimportant. So, I’ve got a challenge for all of you: go out into the world in the next week or two weeks and find that person in your life and make them feel like the most important person in the world. Make them feel like they have never felt before. Make them realize how much they mean to you and the world around you. We need to do more lifting up. We need to be more supportive. We need to be more aware of those around us. There are people out there who just want someone to check in with them. So do it. It is so important.
I bought this card today that I feel perfectly describes what I am trying to say here:
You’re the lone corn dog in a world of plain wieners. In other words, you’re amazing.
I haven’t decided who will be the lucky recipient of this one, but all I can say is, make someone feel like a corn dog. We don’t need any more plain wieners.
So don’t be a plain wiener.
If that didn’t just make you laugh right now, well, shit. Go find a sense of humor.
And always,
be kind to one another.
–p
P.S. I bet you thought I started this post off going in one direction, and then I totally tricked you by going another direction that probably doesn’t make any sense. Oh well. Happy Sunday!
PSA: Desperately seeking out a pen pal. Like a legit one. I’m ready to write. I’ve got great stationary and plenty o’stamps.
Yes, this is real life. 