Saturday September 11, 1993 is a day I will never forget. There was a volleyball tournament that I really wanted to play in, but my usual partner had committed to play with someone else. It was going to be the biggest and best tournament our area had ever seen because some great players, from out of town, were coming in to play. I was disappointed by his decision, so I made other plans. I was going to watch the Alabama football game, with a friend, and then go watch the end of the tournament, which is exactly what I ended up doing.
That day is so memorable, for me, because of what happened that morning. At about 9am, I got a call from a friend that was at the tournament. He told me that there was a guy there that wanted to know if I wanted to play, with him. This was not just some average player. He was a veteran that was very good. He would have clearly been the best partner I’d have ever played with. It would have given me a chance to see how good I had gotten, with a great partner, against very good competition. It was what I had been hoping for, since I started playing volleyball. I thought about it, but in the end, I said no. That day was the only time I ever turned down the chance to play in a tournament. That is one of the biggest regrets I have, in my life. I turned it down because I thought there would be many more tournaments. I didn’t know that my volleyball days were about to come to an end. There are many other regrets I have, but that is the one that still bothers me, to this day, because of how much I loved playing volleyball.
My life was taken away from me because I was stupid and irresponsible. I haven’t had the opportunity to experience the things, in my adult life, that most of you have. I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that I do not regret the life I was living before I got hurt. I regret my irresponsible behavior, but not the life I was living. I was living my life to the fullest and doing exactly what I wanted. I got to travel and experience things that even some of you would be envious of. I can’t explain how cool it was to travel to a beach, sleep in your car, shower by jumping in the pool of a near by hotel, change in the bathroom of McDonald’s, and then spend an entire day playing beach volleyball. What a cool lifestyle to live. I could have had so many more experiences like that, but I threw it all away.
I’m sharing this story because I want to remind people that none of us are guaranteed a tomorrow, so don’t take life for granted. In today’s world, people get so wrapped up in the craziness of each day that they don’t take time to really enjoy the simple things in life. How many times do people put off doing something today until tomorrow? How many of you had planned on doing something that you really wanted to but never did because you kept putting it off? I’ve heard many stories about people that saved their money, so they could enjoy it when they retired only to die shortly after retiring. That is just so sad. We should be enjoying life as its happening and not putting it off until later.
I’m not suggesting that people blow their life savings now especially in this economy. I’m strongly suggesting that you take a moment to evaluate your life. Think about the things that you’ve always wanted to do and could actually do, but you have just kept putting them off. It’s never too late until it actually is too late. When that time comes, I promise you. You will be kicking yourself for the things you could have done but never did. Sixteen years later I still am.
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