Before I Go
By: Sam Tackeberry
Tags: Life, Taoism, Happiness, Love, Sadness

The first has been hiding under my nose for as long as I can remember: I want to learn everything.

I grew up loving school, and I have been more than fortunate to be able to experience many different schooling environments including public, private, and boarding school. I was even homeschooled in the third grade. I loved all of it, and I didn’t discriminate between subjects. I simply wanted to take advantage of the time I was investing by pushing myself in all areas and trying to get whatever I could out of the experience. Although I learned much and grew much, there was one major problem — I held onto the idea that I could only be good at one thing in life.

So, my family comes from Illinois, and we are all obsessed with sports. I played basketball and tennis for many years, and I always looked up to the great athletes — especially Michael Jordan. From a very young age, I knew that he worked on his craft every single day to become the best basketball player he possibly could. I wanted to be like him, so I believed that I needed to fall in love with one activity and practice it every day. I could not have been more wrong.

I was believing a simple idea that was also a lie. For years, I only thought of athletes as athletes. I didn’t understand that they did so many other things. Michael Jordan didn’t just play basketball. He also loved baseball, golf, poker, and many other activities. Basketball was simply the sport where his skills were superior to all of the people around him. After winning his third championship and solidifying his dominance in the NBA, he got bored and left to play professional baseball. That is the reason why I love Michael Jordan. He was not afraid to do what we all secretly want to do — he never stopped learning and inspiring people with his actions. Yes, Mike did not see much success with baseball, but failure is irrelevant. He still tried. Many of us cannot say the same.

I needed one activity, one passion that I wanted to do for the rest of my life. That is what I set out to find. I tried every subject because I did not know what I liked. As months turned into years, I never found the answer to my question. The experience was miserable and nearly led to my destruction. Nonetheless, I met so many amazing people along the way — I got lost in the journey. I am forever grateful for all those who have touched my life: family, friends, teachers (especially Mom), faculty — everyone. For a long time, I was unaware that they are the reason I never reached my breaking point. Now, I know that they were.

Please do not feel bad for me when you read the words “breaking point”. We all have one. We are all much closer to it than we realize. Life hangs in a balance, and we must maintain that balance.

Also, you should not feel bad for me because I am further from perfect than you could imagine, and I have done more terrible things on this Earth than anyone could count. We all have, and that’s okay. I’ve learned to love who I am today. I need to let go of my mistakes. I need everyone to understand that as every day goes by, I am trying to be a better person than I was the previous day. Everyone should understand that all of us are trying to improve ourselves to some extent.

Without the generosity, kindness, and love from all these people who have helped me, I would not feel the way that I do today. To be completely honest, I might not even be here. Once again, don’t feel bad. That’s not the point. No words are powerful enough do the justice of thanking those who have helped us. We need to take the meaningful ideas that others have shown us and apply them to our lives. This is the ultimate form of gratitude. When people love us, they tell us their most personal experiences and lessons. These are the greatest gifts that life can give. When we are told these things, we have an obligation to listen and learn, because we just might learn something new.