We’ve all looked at a photo, heard a song or watched a movie and it took us to a specific moment in our path. You hear a song and it takes you back to High School, a game, your prom, etc. For me anytime I hear GNR and Welcome to the Jungle, I’m back in high school running onto the floor and the Jungle going wild. That song represents a special moment from my past as does many other songs. It’s a running joke with my wife, I asked her years ago, granted we been together almost two decades.. What’s my favorite song? Her reply, Everything I Do, I Do For You and she was serious. Sorry, Dear! You missed that one. So every time I hear that song I just laugh.
A photo represents and captures so much at the same time. You look at a photo and can instantly go back to a moment in your past, you know where you were, what was going on, every last detail. I love sitting down, when I can find the time, to look through photo albums, to see the growth in my boys, to see family and friends who are no longer with us. You can relive some great moments by looking at a photo. When I visit my parents and grandparents its always great to go through an old album and hear them talk about the moment that was captured.
Same goes for movies, for the longest time I could see a movie and remember who I saw it with, what was going, etc. Another part of my useless knowledge. A movie can bring back the moment of your first date, your first kiss. Movies also bring about moments of movie quotes, which I utilize a lot during games and work.
There’s also dates we all have that mean something, birthdays, anniversary,’s death’s or a date that captures a moment in time. For me there’s a date that is coming up that changed my life forever, May 13, 2016. It’s a date I will never forget, not because it was Friday the 13th but for what occurred on that night. Deuces was scrimmaging for a tournament that began the next day, I had to leave town that Sunday for work so trying to get a lot done that evening. While I was on the field I heard a brief cry that sounded like Z-man but then Jess never came and got me and nothing was said so I kept on going with the team. After the scrimmage I pick everything up and begin to head to the car when I see Z and his face is red. A former teammate of Deuces had taken a practice swing and didn’t see Z, hit him below the eye. This resulted in a concussion, broken orbital and fractured check-bone. I had to leave for Texas while he was still in the hospital. That moment lead to a career change. A career I really enjoyed was over because I no longer wanted to be away from home. It still eats at me having to leave Z in the hospital to travel, as well as the kid and family never asking if Z was and is okay.
I took a stepback in my career to be able to be home everynight. This also led me to being more involved in the community. I have moments where I miss what I did, I felt I was good at what I did, I had a path and opportunity for growth. That career was leading me to other avenues, I had begun to talk to other companies about leaving to make more money and have more growth opportunities. That Friday moment changed that and put things in better focus for what I needed to do. I needed to be home, I needed to be there everyday for my boys. That moment could have been a lot worse. Z recovered fully and in fact if one didn’t know about May 13th you would never know what occurred.
As that date and moment approaches I look at a lot of things. How could I have changed it? Why did I have to travel and leave him? What if it had been worse? The last one being the toughest to think about it. I look at every moment beit a song, a photo, a movie or date a lot closer. I cherish each moment alittle more now and the people I share them with. I know how lucky we were and I can’t stop praying that moment wasn’t worse.
Enjoy every moment, take time to reflect on that song, that photo, that movie and that date. Don’t take those moments for granted. We rush through so much of our time that we push some great moments away. Take time to enjoy making a moment with loved one.
TCB