-
Born
-
caught first fish
This one incident shaped my life more than any other. From this moment on I was "hooked" on fishing. It offered me an escape from the ordinary. For many years to come fishing provided me time away from the hustle of daily life, to reflect on my life. -
Life isn't perfect
Within a week my parents divorced and my grandfather died. At a young age I learned that the world wasn't perfect. -
Some laws need to be broken
On a fishing trip 40 miles offshore of the keys, me & my father came across a small raft carrying 10 cubans with oars. They were in the middle of the Gulf Stream, carrying them further and further away. My dad gave them food & water & pointed them in the direction of land. We left. Being ten I had no clue why we weren't giving them a ride to shore. My father explained to me that it was illegal. Then I realized, not all laws were good. I was traumatized. I still don't know if they made it or not -
Life is short
I had been in and around the ocean my whole life and had very little fear of it. We had been fishing and a bull shark came to our boat. Being the genius 13 year old I was I decide to jump in the chum filled water with it. It charged at me and turned away at the last second, smacking me with its tail. Scared beyond belief I gained a new respect for the ocean and realized I was not invincible. -
Anything is possible
I was the smallest kid on the team, yet I played center. I got the most rebounds, points, and assists even though I wasn't very talented. I became captain of the team. Through basketball I learned that if you try hard enough you can often overcome barriers. -
It's okay to be different
I had been obsessed with sports for years. My sister had tried to make me join drumline and I laughed because that was "dorky". Then my mom forced me to go to band camp during the summer and I met the most eclectic and accepting people. I dropped sports all together and joined drumline, and now I am the epitome of "dorky", playing yugioh and dungeons and dragons. I learned that it didn't matter if you were "dorky", but only if you were having fun and being true to yourself. -
started working on a shrimp boat
the hours were 8pm to 3:30 am, the people were the roughest sort, the work was of the hardest nature, and I was a sheltered 15 year old, not exactly the best combination. However, I learned so much from the experience. I began to appreciate labor, empathize for the people who had to do this their whole life, and I knew from then on I definitely needed to go to college. -
Take control of your life
I had not really believed in the catholic faith for years, but my parents were making me get confirmed. I had gone to catechism classes for years to be confirmed and on the night of the confirmation I refused to go. It was my life and I had the power to shape it. -
went to Costa Rica
I went to a small isolated town on the southern border of costa rica. There we were staying at an all inclusive five star fishing lodge. When we landed on the garss airstip all the kids in the town came out, in tattered clothes, to see the airplane. We drove by shacks on stilts that would surely fall in a storm. Then we arrived at our gated hotel with a spa, it didn't seem fair. Right outside the hotel walls were people struggling. I learned first hand the reality of economic inequality. -
Became an "adult"?
It didn't really strike me tell I registered to vote that legally I was an adult. It was probably the scariest realization in my life. I would soon be on my own and I felt like I had the maturity of a third grader.
