“Surround yourself with good people and keep breathing.”

So much of this recent post from the TWLOHA blog resonates with me and my story...

Read the whole thing, but here's a little snippet to hold you over until you can make your way over to the blog.

I had grown up being that child full of energy, so I was lucky enough to find the sport of basketball, and with it, a drive to get better. Sports were what centered me, where I was able to get out my frustrations, and where I found the most peace. For other people, writing may be their escape, but for me, the best way to escape has always been going on a run, lifting weights, or even shooting baskets by myself, doing something to make me as physically exhausted as possible. The saying "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea" was my motto. Since I was from Ohio, the sea wasn't the best option, but I knew nothing that a hard lift or a run couldn’t make better.

In my senior year of high school, things shifted. I was ready for a change, and it was almost time for college. I had accepted a Division I basketball scholarship, and the future seemed bright. But that year, I lost three very important people in my life. My best friend's mom, who was a second mother to me, passed away right as school was starting. After that, I also developed a stress fracture in my leg, so I was out for basketball season. That alone was very traumatic to me. The way I had defined myself was taken away, and I also worried my future was in jeopardy. Then, just as I was able to start playing again, my grandfather died. This was the man who had always supported me, my partner in crime. He told more people than I would have liked that I received a scholarship, just because he always wanted to brag about his grandchildren. While returning to basketball and being able to run helped me deal with my grandfather's death, I started to push people away. I didn't want to lose anyone else in my life, and I believed I would be able to protect myself through isolation. The summer passed, and on my first day of moving into the college dorms, I got a phone call: A good friend from my graduating class had passed away.

“Surround yourself with good people and keep breathing.”

It was at that friend’s funeral that Coach walked up to me and said those unforgettable words.

... 

I've always been an athlete, so maybe hearing those words come from a coach meant more to me. I have always searched for the next challenge, whether in sports, running, or academics. Being young and stubborn led me to believe I didn't need people. The challenge was enough; I was enough. There was nothing I couldn't overcome just by working hard. But I was working myself to exhaustion, because I needed to prove to everyone that I would make it, I would make something of myself. Little did I know, I never needed to make “something” of myself to be worth something. I already was valuable to those people, simply because they cared about me. There was never a need to prove myself.

Life isn't always easy, but having the right people next to you can make it beautiful...