Life's Winding Path

In the novel Hero, Thom's basketball coach tells him that he is no longer allowed to be on the team because of his medical problem with seizures. The real reason behind Thom's exclusion from the team though is the fact that he's gay and this frightens his coach for whatever reason. I would have handled it a lot less diplomatically than Thom because in situations like that I tend to be a hot-head. I may or may not have thrown something. If I had to go home and tell my parents about that, they would probably be flabbergasted. They would understand that my coach was looking out for my medical well being (supposedly), but they would expect him to allow me to still be on the team and just ride the bench and support my teammates. Everyone in my family is an athlete and my parents coached sports as well and that's what they would do, so they would expect that fairness of every other coach.

When Ruth gives her speech to Thom, she's saying that maybe this is all there is. Maybe life doesn't get better and maybe it will always be mediocre. She's telling him to live in the moment and appreciate everything he has because that may be all he will get in life. There's no use wishing for things that you don't have and may never happen. Sometimes you just need to be happy with what you currently have. If I had been asked a year ago if I was waiting for something to make me happy, I would have said yes. But now I'm not. Everything that I have been able to do and experience in the last year has made me realize how lucky I am and I have been consistently happy since that realization. I love where I am in my life and what I'm doing with it and I just take everything day by day. I am in charge of my own happiness because I decided to be and I decided that I wasn't going to let anyone else control it.

I think in one way or another most people get cheered on and are the center of attention in some way during their life. It doesn't have to be because you saved the day or something, it can be from getting a well deserved promotion at work. I love my major (history) and I think the best way that this could happen for me is if I was recognized for some really great research I did or some fabulous ground-breaking historical paper I wrote. What I would mostly gain from it is pride in myself and the things I can accomplish.

I think the perfect first kiss would be one when you're least expecting it, from someone you would never expect to get a kiss from. I don't know if the perfect first kiss is attainable or achievable. If I could re-do my first kiss with the last guy I dated, I would because it was so impersonal! Nothing in life is ever perfect, so who's to say that you can have a "perfect" first kiss? I don't think I've ever had a true crush on a famous figure. Thom's crush on Uberman was ridiculous. I think that famous actors, singers, what have you are attractive constantly, but I've never really had a crush on them because I know how incredibly unrealistic it is. I think people have crushes on celebrities because we need to have some element of fantasy in our lives. People think that celebrities are utterly glamorous, so if you have a crush on one, you can think about how amazing your life would be and how you wouldn't be relegated to a cubicle anymore. Sometimes it's good to fantasize about what it would be like to date certain people, but fantasizing about dating a celebrity is boring. I would rather dream about dating someone I know because it has a distinct possibility of happening.