Giving Thanks

First, before I get into this post I just want to say a big thanks to everyone who complimented me on the blog this past weekend. It means more than you know to hear those kind words. It is the main motivating force that keeps me writing, that I wrote something enjoyable, inspiring, or useful.
With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching I thought I'd write something of meaning or at least make the attempt. This holiday, in my opinion, has always been about three major f's, football, family and feasting. I love eating entirely more food than I should, watching football, and spending time with family.  All of which is well and good, but this Thanksgiving I plan on spending a little more time appreciating all I have to be thankful for and letting them know.
Earlier this year one of my closest childhood friends passed away in a horrific accident.  It was heart wrenching seeing the pain and suffering of his family and friends in losing someone way too early. I suffered too in a certainly lesser extent and in a different way. I can remember that day I heard of the news of his passing like it was yesterday. Immediately I recalled all the good times we shared and couldn't believe it was true. I could accept the fact that someone could lose their life at the tender age of 21 especially when he had so much to look forward to in life. After the sudden rush of grief, sorrow, and disbelief I became overcome with a feeling of guilt. Why hadn't I been there for him recently, why hadn't I put in a stronger effort to stay close after he moved, like he had been there for me. There was nothing I could do at the moment, there was no getting him back, I couldn't finally be there. Life is a gift and you never know when it might end.  Since my friends death in March I know two others who have passed away too young.
Love, a one syllable word that phonetically is not difficult to pronounce, yet sometimes it is so difficult.  Despite all steps taken towards greater equality we still live in a predominately homophobic society. Sensitivity in a male still correlates to weakness in the eyes of many. There are many males in society who fear saying I love you to another guy in fear of being labeled weak or a fag. Even just merely expressing you care for another guy as a friend is uncomfortable for many. Drake has received criticism from a number of cynics because of the emotion he put into his album with some calling him gay, weak, etc. Saying you love a girl you are not in a relationship with for an extensive period of time is equally frowned upon as it is not common practice to drop the "L Bomb" until one has dated someone for an extensive period of time.
The fact that life is finite has allowed me to better appreciate everything I have in life. I'm blessed to be surrounded by the best family and friends in the world and I will not take that for granted. There are a large number of people in my life that I can say I love. I really do have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving.
Thanks for reading and I really appreciate any and all feedback.

The Importance of Team

                Before someone jumps down my throat for “stealing the idea” I’ll come forward and admit that this blog post is in response to two articles I recently read by Donn Cabral, runnerup at nationals in the steeplechase, and Dan Chenoweth, a HEPs champion.  Both individuals are out my league intellectually and athletically, but I want to draw upon their writings in a less eloquent matter.  Here’s the links to both articles and I highly suggest reading them both:http://www.gocrimson.com/sports/xc/2010-11/releases/110707_Dan_Chenoweth_Essay    http://instride.org/archives/1021

                Deciding to attend Marist College was by far the best decision of my life.  I used up all my official visits before visiting Marist and was forced to visit unofficially.  It really wasn’t a big deal as Marist is essentially 13rd grade for St. Anthony’s students so I knew people with whom I could stay.  Having taken so many official visits I did have a measuring stick it which to compare schools, but it wasn’t really necessary.  I know it sounds cliché, but from the moment I stepped foot on Marist’s campus I felt home;  I knew that was where I wanted to spend the proverbial best four years of my life.  It wasn’t the strong athletic or academic reputation that drew me to Marist it was the team.  The track and field and cross country teams are so much more than the Webster definition, a number of persons associated together in work or activity.  That definition does not give justice to what the Marist track team is, a family.

                Puberty is a time of life characterized by great physical change in an individual.  College, on the other hand, is a time of great emotional and spiritual change.  Throughout challenging ourselves in the classroom, devoting hours to a sport or activity, partying way more than we should, we are constantly learning; learning about who we are, who we want to be, and our place in this world.  I came into college thinking I had everything figured out; I left college realizing how naïve I truly was.  To say I learned a lot about myself throughout college would be an understatement.  Some of the highest and lowest points of my life occurred during those four years.  Throughout my four years I always had my team, my family, with me, to celebrate my victories and to pick me up and dust me off when I fell. 

                At Marist student involvement is at the crux of their mission; the entire housing selection is predicated on this notion.  Students sign up for various activities to try to bolster their priority points so they can select Fulton, the upper echelon of housing reserved for the “best and brightest” Marist students.  Throughout four years my friends and I were never Fulton material and that is something I’m perfectly ok with.  I never availed myself all of the activities Marist had to offer, I never got involved the same way other students did.  However, I truly wonder how many students can say they were part of something special.  Excluding trivial intramural teams, I participated in one activity at Marist, but that one activity helped define me, a runner.

                  Sure, I am no longer a runner at the moment, but I know I was part of something special at Marist.  Putting on my singlet before every meet was a privilege, not a right.  It was privilege to represent all the Marist harriers who came before me, my current teammates and those that will come after me.  All my greatest memories were made possible because I was a member of the cross country and track and field teams at Marist.  I was on the track when Rolek broke the school record and able to share in the elation of the hardest working runner and best leader I’ve ever met.  I was on the course when Will Griffin shocked everyone as a freshman at regionals and Dave and Girma both nailed it on the same day.  It was awesome being able to see how happy Pete was that day when our team finally finished in the top 10.  Last year, it was equally incredible when Web stepped up, had a career day, and helped secure our second top 10 finish in school history.  It felt great to see a teammate and good friend of mine have a performance like that after narrowly missing the regionals roster the previous two years.  Sure, I never broke a school record or stepped up like Web did last year, but I was lucky to be able to share in those moments.  And as great as the moments were on the course it was truly awesome to spend four years creating memories off the course as well.  Reflecting back on my college experience, the good, the bad, and the ugly there was one constant in my life, the cross country team, and I’m so proud call myself a Marist College alumni.

                To any current seniors who might’ve stumbled upon this post, best of luck this coming weekend at IC4As, I’ll be there cheering.  It was truly a pleasure to spend my final three years with all of you.  It’s crazy how quickly time flies, cherish every moment of your senior year and make this last race count.  I’ll be there to watch and help celebrate after.

Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it!