Just Do

I remember in my senior year of high school, I visited the Flyers Wives Fight for Lives Carnival. I got to meet the hardest-working and most humble people out there. Hockey players. I met the gritty Mike Knuble: the man who makes his living in the crease and driving the net. I also got to meet a lot of the alumni.

The Broad Street Bullies. The ones that worked hard, the ones that revolutionized the game, and some of the ones that made a living in broadcasting. One was Bill Clement.

Clement has worked with the best in his career as a broadcaster. He worked with Mike Emrick on Flyers' telecasts. Most notably, he worked alongside Gary Thorne as a color commentator in an illustrious run on ESPN and ABC. He has been in commercials, and now makes his primary living as a motivational speaker for businesses. Apparently, he fetches a pretty penny.

The reason I bring up the affable Clement is because of something I told him. I remember being in line, just waiting to say hello. Then, I said I wanted to be the next Gary Thorne. He asked me, have you ever done it before? Embarrassingly, I hadn't. He said, you need to get to your high school's games. You need to be up in the corner, with a recorder, and just doing it.

It was only about a fifteen second encounter, but it was one that changed my life.

I wouldn't know it right away though. I didn't even attend another Souderton hockey game. They were terrible. I had no clue how to broadcast hockey. I didn't care to embarrass myself in front of people asking "who the hell is this kid? Is he talking to himself?" So I hindered myself, and I regret it to this day.

Since then, I have lived by two words that Clement said to me. They are words not well-received sometimes, but they are simply not arguable. Just do. There is no excuse to just do. There is plenty of opportunity to grab ahold of. Especially for the broadcasters of the future. You are in a dogfight with so many others. The best way to get on top of them is to just do.

I know people would rather take the easy way, but sometimes sacrifices are so necessary to attain what philosophers like to call "the good life." I'll continue to just do.

I'm Millersville University's first, and for now, only ever hockey broadcaster. My name is signed on the infrastructure of the new bell tower with "Shot! Score!" and my signature. Millersville will have a piece of history with the new Student Memorial Center.

Thanks, Bill. Thanks for changing my life in mere seconds.

The Last Time

Today marks the last time I'll ever do something. It's the last time I'll ever go "back to school".

To be honest, I didn't expect it to be this sad. All the time, children say they can't wait until it's over, but it has been a constant in my life. I don't know any different. I only know grades. I don't know payroll and fighting for my livelihood. I only know fighting for a grade.

I remember being a wide-eyed five year old, standing at the corner of Salford Ridge, waiting for the tiny bus that would drive me and about ten others to Salford Hills Elementary School. The days I had there were ones I'll never forget. I had some of the most influential people guide me to be an outstanding individual.

I remember Mr. Purnell, the nicest and most patient man alive. I started a saying with him. "Be bright." Be a blessing to someone. Always do the right thing. He stressed how important it was to be an individual. Today, that call to action is not heard so strongly, but it should be.

I remember Mr. Weinberger. The most eccentric teacher ever. "Attention everybody. The phrase of the day is first. It is pronounced..." I remember learning about Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, Greece...the adventures and wisdom that the ancients have and how it affects today.

I remember Mrs. Auchenbach. My first mentor. One who wasn't exactly loved by the students, but if you got to know her, she was a bevy of information. She was someone that got life, and understood why I was bullied. She gave me strength. I should thank her someday.

I remember Mr. McClintock. My second mentor. He was someone that was able to give me strength. He taught about Medieval history...something I still love to this day. His class was always informative, and it filled my imagination.

And most of all, I remember Ms. Brand. The one that got me in this mess in the first place! She's the one that told me that I need to express myself. I shouldn't be afraid of who I am. She told me to use my voice for something. I plan to use it for two reasons, actually. In any case, she may be the single most important piece to who I am today.

So many memories race back. So many "first day" feelings. The warmth outside, the excitement of a new year, the challenges that awaited. I never thought it would end. I thought that was life. The years went on, and it was an expectation. Why would things change? Why would things become more complicated?

Because that's just life, that's why.

It's hard to believe this is the beginning of the end of my life as a student. Soon, it'll be my turn to be a voice that someone listens to. Soon my livelihood will be on the line to the tune of how many people listen to me. There are times I barely feel ready, but people tell me I am. I don't want to disappoint anyone. I can only hope they're right.

It's back to that whole complacency thing. It was an inevitability, but one we stashed aside. We're just students, and we always will be. Obviously...not the case.

It's all about soldiering on, and finishing school the way I want to. I want to finish as a polished academic, and an ardent soul. I want to be someone that Millersville University lists on notable alumni. I want to be someone that the history books talk about. I want to be that guy.

So...here's to the future.

Stand Out

Life is short.

We often cast this saying aside. We think to ourselves that tomorrow's a guarantee. After all, we've lived for thousands of days. As Stephen Christian once said on his blog (modesty.blogspot.com), we never expect this day to be our last. We put on our favorite shirt and go out into the world, only to expect tomorrow. We can't. But we're so complacent. We just do.

With this limited time, sometimes we just go through the motions. We don't stand for anything. All we do is propagate drama. Good vs. evil. The good guy vs. the bad guy.

I never thought I'd be able to use this in a serious blog, but I'm going to.

"And we have some problems here on the Earth to worry about? Compared to like...nothing. Just...be happy. Don't worry, be happy right now."

See, it's times like these I don't understand people that don't believe in a higher purpose. The people who don't want to stand for something. The people who don't want to fight for what they believe in. I don't care if the purpose's scale is minuscule or grand, just stand for something. If you have the ability to, and everyone does, fight for what you believe in.

It was Ralph Marston that said that everyone has their own unique voice. Use that voice to say what you truly mean, to express who you really are.

It was Gandhi that said that we need to be the change that we wish to see in the world.

We have all the tools in the world, especially in this information age, to extend our beliefs on a massive scale. We possess the ability to be heard. We possess the ability to do so much more than anyone could have possibly conceived of doing just twenty years ago. Compare what we have the ability to do today to the capability of people in the Roman Empire had.

It's night and day.

People know me as the guy that loves hockey, and will someday earn his livelihood being a part of it. There is just one thing that people don't know. I plan to use this voice of mine to stand up for the causes I believe in. I vow to squash bullying and discrimination amongst adolescents. If God will have it, I will live on and continue to fight the fight that I had fought beforehand.

I will use this blog, I will use Twitter, I will use my future profession, I will use anything in my power to stand up for what I believe in.

What do you believe in? Will you stand up for it, or will you be silent? Don't fall for the spiral of silence.

BE THE CHANGE.

Trying Again

The last time I blogged here, I possessed immaturity. There was anger. Frustration. Cold reaction. There was no sense, no focus. Now, it's time I found a focus, and stuck with it. I told myself I was frequently right. I told myself, nobody would care. But it turns out, they did.

The real purpose of this blog is to find understanding in the injustices of life. Things I will observe and try and figure out why things don't work the way they should. My struggles will be posted on this blog from time to time, sometimes lyrically, sometimes not. I can only hope I can get what you're thinking, too.

I'm more than just a voice. I'm a beacon of my own self truth.

Thanks, Mark.