90 Days Away: Ballin’ Around the World
This is a daily documentation of my adventure from Hillsboro, Oregon to Cape Town, South Africa on September 16th, 2017.
Day 11, thinking of heaven
Heaven to me involves a warm beach, a hipster cafe, my gorgeous girlfriend, and writing the morning away. Of course, it’s very tough to combine all of these into one fantastical place…oh wait, I’m picturing South Africa. Never mind.
I’m going to heaven in three months!
The one thing that won’t be in Cape Town that would make South Africa complete perfection is basketball. Basketball is my escape from life right now; Thursday nights, Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons are dedicated to my favorite sport. I have grown so much as a player and grown so close to the friends I play with.
In the dead heat of summer, in the freezing cold of winter, and everything in between, the barn on the side of the road in front of my hometown’s high school has been my home for the past five years.
It’s tough to leave home, but I believe it’s definitely worth it.
Down there, the major sport is rugby. Now, football is 1b to basketball’s 1a to me, so rugby shouldn’t be too much of a learning curve. My concern is getting beaten to a bloody pulp. I’m not a small kid — 5'11", 180 pounds — but playing against guys (and gals) who have the aggression of fully-grown gorillas is not what I determine to be “fun.”
I’m not scared — I just hope I can play adequately.
I am an extremely competitive person. Sometimes it shows up as an ugly creature, sometimes it shows as a hard worker with a desire to win. My one goal is to make sure the former never happens and the latter is what people see me as. I already know Cape Town and Durban are full of genuine individuals, so I want to reciprocate it from day 1 onwards.
Wonderful people deserve wonderful treatment.
What’s your sport? Is it something athletic or something low-key? Maybe it’s hiking (another thing Cape Town is famous for) or skiing or jumping out of perfectly good airplanes.
Whatever it is, make sure to never lose your joy of being active. It’s proof that you’re alive and your body is running healthy.
I’ve got to go. Basketball is calling my name.
“There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” -Derek Jeter
Follow the Journey!
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My mission is to show you the reality of leaving everything behind and taking the plunge. I hope this will help you want to start on your path to purpose!
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