People

People.

I’ve had some time to think over the past few days about way too much. Most of my thinking happens late at night or in the shower. The rest of my day is spent trying to keep busy to keep my mind busy.

I’ve also had time to do a lot of reading this week. I finished my online summer classes which freed up some time. I found an old book published in 1985 celebrating Point Park College’s 25th anniversary. It really was fascinating. There were so many interesting stories in this book told by really interesting people. We are coming up on the 50th anniversary of the Globe (our student-run newspaper) and it gave me some great ideas for stories leading up to our celebration.

The second book I read was “Tales from the Pirates Dugout,” featuring a broad range of stories from former Pirates players, managers and opponents. Some were funny, some were fascinating, some were historic. My “fountain of useless information” as my dad calls it has definitely grown deeper over the past week.

The Point Park book was organized chronologically with events told by those who were there to experience it all. The Pirates book was organized by the players’ last names and told through a narrator with a few quotes mixed in here and there. 

It inspired more thinking. What if I had a book describing the people in my life sharing stories about our experiences and adventures? I’m sure few would actually buy a copy, let alone read it. The reader would find the section where I talk about font selections incredibly boring and lame. It happens. 

Who would be in this book of mine? Would it be like the Point Park book with people sharing stories about me or would it be like the Pirates book with me describing tales from the people in my life? It probably would end up being a mix of both. 

There have been some amazing people placed into my life. I’m still trying to figure out why some have entered, exited, stuck around, helped me out, etc. I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and you meet everyone for a reason. 

I started typing a list of the different groups of people that would be in this book. I wrote the list, realized I left some people out, rewrote the list, and just decided to delete the list and keep it to myself. I would want to include absolutely everybody in this book. From my mentors in school to my family and my friends - even the people who aren’t part of my life anymore. Everybody. 

Why leave people out? Like I said, everybody you meet you meet for a reason. I don’t know what the reason is for meeting a strong majority of the people in my life right now. I do know that the people in my life right now are incredible. My friends, my family, the people I work with, everybody.

There are plenty of people from my hometown that I’ve lost contact with or that I never was really close with that I’d want in this book too. I was a different person four years ago than I am today and I imagine I’ll be even more different four years from now. The evolution of a someone’s life and personality is fascinating to me. Maybe that’s why I enjoyed the Point Park book so much. This place has evolved and grew so much over the years and the book was published in ’85. So much has changed, yet so much has stayed the same. 

People are like that too. We all change over the years. We all adapt to our surroundings, gain wisdom and experience, and ultimately change. You grow as a person and so much changes, yet so much stays the same.

Just looking back on the past few years of my life, I can see some of the things that have changed and stayed the same. I’ve learned how to balance and juggle multiple things at once. I’ve learned how to smile more and focus on positivity. I’ve learned the importance of having a strong support system and surrounding myself with good people. 

There are genuinely good people in this world that care. It really is amazing to discover those people and even more amazing when they stick around for a while.

I don’t know why I’ve been so fortunate to meet so many of these people over the last year or two, but I’m so thankful that these people have entered my life.

People come and go. At the end of our lives, we’ll ultimately be summed up by a few bullet points. The people you meet and leave an impact on throughout the course of your life are far more important than the bullet points left in your obituary. 

My late night thinking recently led me to think of so many people that have walked into my life. I’m thankful for each and every one of them, even if they weren’t great for me at the time. I’ve learned something from everyone I’ve met, even if I don’t know what that something is yet. Im thankful for that. 

My hope is that I will be lucky enough to encounter more of these people in the future and keep the ones in my life now around for as long as I can.

Because, why not?

Josh