To Overcome
I find that if you listen to people, depending on you they are, you can hear the wisdom from what they say. No, I do not intently listen to young 23 year old know-it-alls. I have been surrounded by many of them this past year and I know time is what they need to know that they do not know it all. I am talking about listening to savvy people who have had highs and lows in life and learned from them. Last night after watching Shaq and D. Wade lead the Miami Heat to their first NBA title, I watched all of the post-game interviews. Alonzo Morning, who I have liked since his days at Georgetown, was speaking. He said something that will stick with me for the rest of my life.
For those who do not know, Zo was diagnosed with a kidney disease in 2000 had to walk a way from his passion and living - the game of basketball. His life was only saved by the grace of his cousin donating a kidney to him. This is the only reason why he lives today. Not only does he live, but also he is playing basketball again. During the interview, he said, "You have to remain strong in the mind to overcome and not succumb." That right there says it all. And this is from a man who has had a low that many of us could not fathom.
Hearing Zo, made me think about myself and those that I know. Now, I am not big on sob stories as an excuse or motivation because every human has them. Normally, I do not like to talk about these, but I think in this context I will be excused because it will highlight how much I and my friends have overcome to get to this point of our lives.
Neal Arthur - Here is a man that has overcome many changes in life. From leaving Law School after determining that it was not him to a high tech job where he would be told that 'he made it'. However, it his mind, he did not make it. He wanted more. He spontaneously lived out of a bag and a dirty futon in a historic landmark in Harlem for 7 months. With little money to spend, he lived and searched for jobs. His search led him back to Ad school, a two year stint in lonely Minnesota, and full circle back to New York. My man now is that man at a top Advertisement agency living a life we used to talk about when jogging along the Hudson. My man has overcome a lot of change.
Hector Villalobos - Hecy is the epitome of hard work. Hecy had a beautiful daughter while we were sophomores in college. The stresses of raising a daughter would have made many men succumb and drop out. Oh, but not Hecy. He studied and raised his daughter during those last 2 years of school. He graduated with an 'Electrical Engineer' degree and now is living in a fat pad in Sacramento with wife and 3 children. Hecy made it long before any of my Benton 5 friends.
Slaven - Many people do not realize that my man left his country and family to study here in the US. I believe he was he may have been 17 years old living on his own in this unforgiving country. Slaven is a genius (original typo was guinness) and carried me in Physics our sophomore year. However, this does not mean he has not worked hard. If you meet Slaven today, I believe many people would not see the real Slav because he is chilling on the 38th floor of a building overlooking New York City's Central Park, he is retired, and is basically travelling at will. I think these people will say that he is lucky. This is definitely not the case. I remember living on Benton Street when he would stay up in the wee hours of the night programing on his dingy old school IBM. The typing would keep Mark up with him throughout the night. While we were having fun like college kids do, he was programming. Well, his determination and sacrifice got him to where he is today. I saw it and know it. My man has overcome a lot.
Mark - Out of all the friends, Mark has experienced something many of do not experience when we graduate from college. Soon after we graduated, his mother, his best friend, passed on to the good Lord. He was stuck in a dot com job that made him miserable, tore an ACL, and living in San Francisco with most of his close friends now living in other cities. The challenges did not end there. Eventually he would be laid off from his job. Money became tight and he decided to go back to school for Advertising. Mark has a way with words that is truly innate. This gift was restrained in the boring world of Tech, but he was determined to let his gift shine. After finishing school, he moved to New York City lived in the same Historic building and slept on the same dirty futon as Neal. Mark is now established in New York doing what he loves. His fortune has yet to come, but it is on its way. Mark's strong mind did not succumb. He has overcome a lot to acheive what he has. Mark has to agree that he has lived a life most people dream of.
Me - After being subjected to corporate mind humping, I left a very good job. I then found myself on a bus sitting next to Joe Cullen, returning from La Tomatina in Valencia, Spain. The prior months I had no direction and often thought about discussions with Neal about our vision and goals during our jobs along the river. Returning to New York from my backpacking journeys, I had traumatic jaw surgery, no job, and barely any money. I hustled for my survival by selling shoes on eBay. While hustling, I returned to community college for required classes to apply to Dental School. After quiting my old job, 3 years of sacrifice and determination has me where I am today. I have one year of dental school under my belt at an Ivy League Medical School and I am getting married on July 1. Yes, I have to admit that I have overcome a lot. I did not settle to or succumb to many of the life's pressures. I know that more is to become because I know in my mind, that is what is going to happen.
You can see that the Benton 5 has overcome a lot over the last 10 years. We are too strong like Zo to succumb to life's pressures and stresses. I know that life will present more challenges, but I also know that we will power through them. Let us remain humble in our accomplishments, but also do not be afraid to celebrate the fruits of hard work. We have lived a full life, but do not stop here.