Reflection, Community, Guidance…
This time of year always reminds me of being 12…growing up watching OSU football, birthday parties in my warm and cozy home, and watching the leaves change from green to gold. It’s always been a great time for reflection and growth. That being said, I can’t help but look back and see how some things that were so inconsequential at the time, are now the cornerstones of what makes me who I am. I remember how hard school always seemed to be for me. I couldn’t concentrate to save my life. I always felt like I gravitated towards the other kids who were “outcasts” or just didn’t quite fit the standard mold. I saw a lot of myself in these other kids. There was a deep empathy that sort of transcended any place of status in the school social ladder. And it carried over to sports, music, and everything else I was involved with. I could never understand why it was about better or worse, or less or more. I just wanted to be ok with where I was. And eventually it’s what led me to leave college, where I was studying music. But the point for me was that everything that always seemed to me to be places of failure…never being good enough in sports, never attaining that top level of trumpet playing, never feeling adequate at school…those are the things that pushed me to be where I am now. Driven. And looking at that bigger picture for me is tremendously important. The people that surround me, the freedom of thought and expression with my music, and the family that embraces and guides me (relatives and non) to a positive worthwhile place. Isn’t that what it’s all about after all? To do something honest, live a good life, and be loved…It’s all I could ever want and try to be. So as the fall and winter months approach, I say here’s to that loving feeling! Keep putting your best foot forward!
-Andy Shaw
