Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post

fredr123 · 07-17-2007, 11:37 AM

I'm not sure how I feel about the course my life has taken. I'm halfway between 20 and 30 so maybe it's about time for some quiet reflection, anyway.

What does bug me, though, is something that happens at pretty much every pro sports draft. I realize I never had the talent to make it in the NHL or the NBA but every year the draftees get younger and younger.

You can hear the sound of doors of opportunity slamming shut with each flip of the calendar page. True, there is plenty of time for other of life's pursuits but it's undeniable that certain options are no longer available to me.

I don't feel like I am entitled to fame and big things of riches but there is part of me that pines for the kind of freedom that only financial independence can bring. It's the same part of me that's a little bit jealous of the kids who went to school and had their parents picking up the tab; those fellow classmates that didn't have part-time jobs to make ends meet but still had fancy cars and partied most weekends.

I look forward to the day that I can afford the things that would seem to make a person happy. At some point, I may get there but the choices I have made along the way will no doubt delay all that. I gave up partying on the weekends for the sake of my post-secondary education. I got married rather than participating in the stuff Penthouse Letters are made of. I gave up rapid career progression for a few extra hours a night (and many more weekends) with my family.

They were all good choices, I think, but that small fraction of my sould that almost regrets some of those same choices is evidence to me that Generation Me is here.

07-17-2007, 11:37 AM	#9
fredr123 Franchise Player Join Date: Apr 2004 Exp:	I'm not sure how I feel about the course my life has taken. I'm halfway between 20 and 30 so maybe it's about time for some quiet reflection, anyway. What does bug me, though, is something that happens at pretty much every pro sports draft. I realize I never had the talent to make it in the NHL or the NBA but every year the draftees get younger and younger. You can hear the sound of doors of opportunity slamming shut with each flip of the calendar page. True, there is plenty of time for other of life's pursuits but it's undeniable that certain options are no longer available to me. I don't feel like I am entitled to fame and big things of riches but there is part of me that pines for the kind of freedom that only financial independence can bring. It's the same part of me that's a little bit jealous of the kids who went to school and had their parents picking up the tab; those fellow classmates that didn't have part-time jobs to make ends meet but still had fancy cars and partied most weekends. I look forward to the day that I can afford the things that would seem to make a person happy. At some point, I may get there but the choices I have made along the way will no doubt delay all that. I gave up partying on the weekends for the sake of my post-secondary education. I got married rather than participating in the stuff Penthouse Letters are made of. I gave up rapid career progression for a few extra hours a night (and many more weekends) with my family. They were all good choices, I think, but that small fraction of my sould that almost regrets some of those same choices is evidence to me that Generation Me is here.