This past weekend two of my best friends from home came to Ireland to visit both DCU Victory Scholar Samantha Hyslip and I. The four of us were teammates at Stonehill College, where over the past four years our friendship grew into one that I know will last a lifetime. It wasn’t until I met up with them in Galway this past weekend that I had my first serious epiphany while here in Ireland. With all of the change I have been adjusting to, it has been so easy for me to get absorbed in my daily to-do list. But during this moment I took a step back to fully appreciate what was in front of me, and how it all got there in the first place.
It was in this moment that I saw two of my best friends, neither of which are from the same state that I am from back in America. I saw behind them a gray cobblestone street with adorable shops and pubs lining it on all sides. I heard live Irish folk music being performed by young musicians up, and shivered as along came the cool Irish breeze. And in this moment it struck me how this scenario ever came about in my life.
Sport. The game of basketball has taught me a number of life lessons. It has instilled discipline, work ethic, passion and determination inside of me. It has knocked me down as much as it has built me up, shaping me in so many ways into the person who I am today. But beyond that, basketball has given me a life full of opportunities and memories. This sport has blessed me with my greatest friendships, a free ride to college, seven states and four countries I otherwise would not have seen, as well as daily entertainment for nearly twenty years of my life thus far.
Basketball has done so much for me. My proudest moments are because of the game, while a number of lows are also because of this game. Sport has given me an identity and a lifestyle. As I get older and the days of my life being so invested in this game are numbered, I cannot help but feel incredibly blessed. I’m grateful for the people I have met, places I have seen, adrenaline rushes I have felt and utter disappointment I faced as well. I do not know where or who I would be if it wasn’t for this sport, but without it I would never have found myself roaming Galway with Stacy, Iz and Sam. And that alone I could not be more thankful for.
