Its been 20 years since I was brought into the world. I think its time that I do some reflecting on whats happened with me and whats happened in the world as well. Not that I am depressed in any way, I just need to get it out. So lets get going shall we?
1990s-I do not remember much about what happened in the first decade of my life. Bill Clinton was president, I was obsessed with Disney movies. World issues were pretty stable at the time. The Persian Gulf War wasn't even a war, it was a conflict that lasted less then 120 combat hours. President Clinton was considered the greatest thing to happen to the United States since President Reagan. Video games had taken a whole new level from their 1980s counterparts. Portable gaming became very popular, with Pokemon being the defining moment of portable gaming. I went from kindergarten to 2nd grade when it came to education, boy did I have it easy. Sports wise my mom coached my little league soccer team, where I was a Goaltender, which I didn't enjoy. I played basketball, which I liked, but I had a setback when I
A) Spiked a jump ball into a girls face, making her cry(oops)
B) Got a technical foul for punching a kid in the stomach for stealing the ball from me(no one ever told me there was no hitting in basketball)
When I didn't like those, my mom suggested I give hockey a try. It allowed me to hit people, which I liked. First season didn't go to well, I still had trouble skating when I was 6, and I was playing recreational roller hockey with kids almost 8 years older then me. Then I got into Ice hockey, which was better because all the kids were my age. Wasn't really good, but Coach Shelly thought I would make a great enforcer one day. Well, she kind of got it right. Next season, under Coach Bob, I always wanted to line somebody up for a good check into the boards, or hit for just no reason. I got my first trip to the sin bin that year, I never understood why my mom and dad cheered when I got sent there, until they told me that they wanted to see me go out and hit people. Then I got sent to the penalty box TOO much.
2000s(elementry to junior high)- My growing pain. America had been attacked by terrorists in 2001, and President Bush began a conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq that would last well into the next decade. Mom married a new guy, and at the time, I wanted the old life back. There was no hockey, there was football though, I still got to hit people, but i couldn't do it on skates, I had to do it with my feet. I went through growing pains, I rebelled against my parents frequently, I didnt do things right. I wanted things back, and my step dad wasnt happy with how i acted. guess it could have been a whole lot worse. I went Up and Down in school, occasionally hitting straight A's or narrowly failing a grade. Things with my step dad kinda warmed up, then I let emotions get to me and we had an icy relationship till my junior high school. When I got to high school, I didn't it to be such a tumultuous experience.
2000s(high school)-High school brought a lot of new challenges and experiences that I did not think I could imagine possible. My freshman year, I was a district football champion and helped my baseball team reach 3rd place at state. But that year wasn't without its flaws, flaws that I need not address. I went through more growing pains, by the time I was a sophomore in high school, me and my step dad had completely fell out. I did not want anything with him, he did not want anything with me, so we kept out of each others hair. Junior year changed. We suddenly became friends, and almost to the point where he was like my real dad. It was a rather rewarding endeavor. Halfway through my junior year, I moved up to Pennsylvania with my real dad, and lived up there. Second half of junior year really sucked, I suddenly had more restrictions, I had a new slate of reputation to build up, I had to make a good impression, which at first I didn't, but over time I grew back into it. Suddenly at the end of my high school career, I had done something that my dad, grandpa, or any male on that side of the family had done;graduated.
2010-present- I went to culinary school for awhile, didn't like it like I thought I would. I went through another dark period, I was upset all the time, I wanted to go back to Pennsylvania, where I belonged. I did go back, but realized I was digging myself in a bigger hole. Sure seeing my friends and all was great, but I kept spinning in circles. I do miss it, and I know my step sister misses me a lot, but one day ill get back up their for a visit.
When I look back on my reflection, and how I have grown up, I take a look at my life as though it is like a hunt. Sometimes I get the trophy kill, sometimes I end up empty handed, but in the end, I look and realize that the thrill of the hunt is what makes me who I am today. Forget getting blindsided by problems, reflect on the good times that I have enjoyed in my life, and look forward to creating more opportunities to make the hunt that much more enjoyable.
When I look back on life, it is like looking into a mirror, a mirror that allows me to look at my flaws, my triumphs, and everything I have done. However, the mirror does not do one thing;tell the future. I guide my own path, make my own destiny, set the course for my life. Its not about taking it day by day, or year by year, its about following the way of the dawn, and greet each moment in life with full gusto.
And that, is what makes the thrill of the hunt that much more enjoyable.
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