Monday, September 27, 2010

A Letter To My Brother

Daniel,

It had only been a week since we last spoke, but I wish I could call you and just hear you answer now. To us, selfishly, you were taken too early, but in our hearts we know that you are seated at the table with Our Father, and for that I am thankful.  While that may comfort us in our knowledge of your current, heavenly state, it still does not discontinue an occasional tear drop as memories consume us in the void your enormous presence vacated.

You are my brother; bonded on many levels, and I love you as such.  We competed as brothers, argued as brothers, and kicked it as brothers, lifting each other up and always looking out for one another.  In the last week, I have been bombarded by memories of times we shared and been surrounded by loved ones, who all love you. I am truly indebted to you as you were and continue to be responsible for expanding my circle of family and life friends. Thank you for welcoming me into your family and inner circle.

Your influence on people continues on in a major way as shown by the massive turnout you drew at your last party. Thank you for being a genuinely kind person, one who stood up for people and shamelessly loved to enjoy life with those who meant most to you. Daniel, I am going to miss you terribly; we all are.  I love you, Bro. Until I see you again, my brother.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

What, exactly, IS A Good Relationship?

Quite frequently when I speak with women and men alike, both express the desire to be in a “good relationship” with a “good man/woman”, and quite frequently these sentiments leave me confused with a vague impression of what, precisely, qualifies, as a “good relationship with a good man/woman”.  So, naturally, I channeled Sherlock and good ole’ Watson and began to ask some questions.  What exactly makes a good relationship?  Is it the time the relationship occupies? Must it be longer than a year, two years, or result in marriage?  Are all marriages portraits of good relationships? 

During my investigation, I spoke with my high school sweetheart. Now, to give a little insight, my high school sweetheart was really the first girl to have me open and helplessly falling in love.  She was ALSO the only girl to truly break my heart (cue the AWWW!).  Since we broke up my freshman year, we have had sparing conversation as she has continued with her life, and I have done likewise.  BUT, in this conversation, the gratitude that I felt for our relationship was more apparent than ever because as I explored my past adolescent feelings I, once, had for this young woman, I realized the lessons I learned through that relationship.

As I matured past the hurt of a young boy’s first heartbreak, I saw the manner in which we interacted, and I could identify what it would take for ladies to check in the game with Just GQ in the future.  Feel me?  I learned NOT TO SETTLE and learned what makes a relationship good to me, personally, which are some of the most important relationship lessons I have learned in my short existence. 

Personally, I qualify a foundation of friendship, genuine care for the other’s well-being, attraction/chemistry (personality and physical), compromise, and understanding as the makings of a good relationship.  More specifically, I categorize my relationship with my high school sweetheart as a “good relationship” because it allowed me to LEARN and GROW as a person, so I could better contribute to future productive relationships.  Growth holds pivotal importance in surroundings saturated with bitter people who refuse to take mature stances acknowledging poor personal decisions, which assisted in the demises of relationships past.

Dare to be DIFFERENT, and LEARN from past experiences to facilitate your GROWTH!  Thank YOU for checking in the GAME with Just GQ and for helping the blog grow in popularity! Keep CHECKING IN as I will keep serving up the topics about which you want to hear!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Heisman Striptease?

The speculation of Reggie Bush being stripped of his Heisman trophy drenched today’s sports news headlines.  The decision is pending due to a meeting (to occur by the end of September) of the Heisman Trust, a committee of a seven, pro bono, trustees who “are guided by a devotion to college football and are committed to community service and the valued tradition which the Trophy represents” (heisman.com).  If the Trust strips Bush, now an impact player for the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints, this would be the first instance of this EVER happening in the 75-year history of the award.  The hinge of the debate hangs upon the rule stating the award shall be received by an eligible player, a title of which five years later, Bush was deemed unworthy.

In an era engulfed by performance enhancing drugs, it is baffling that this issue holds the weight it does.  Bush utilized NONE of the drugs ingested by dozens of impact baseball players who are commonly accused, convicted, and forgiven prior to receiving the “hero” tag they wore once before, and claiming Reggie Bush as the FIRST and/or ONLY college football player/Heisman winner to receive “extra benefits” would be a far cry from reality.  More accepted fact lies in the purpose of the Heisman trophy, which is to recognize and honor the most outstanding player in college football.  In 2005, that was Reggie Bush.

In the midst of a USC dynasty, Reggie Bush shined brightly among a cornucopia of highly regarded NFL draft picks.  During his 2005 campaign, which ended in status as the nation’s number two team, Bush rushed for 1,740 yards and 17 total TDs, and he tallied a whopping 42 TDs in three years at USC!  Need I remind everyone that, numbers aside, Reggie Bush is arguably THE MOST DYNAMIC college football player EVER! 

As far as the Heisman trophy is concerned, voters and nonvoters alike shared my sentiments as Bush racked up the HIGHEST percentage of first place votes in the history of the Heisman trophy (84%) in a landslide vote placing him above Vince Young, who would later undo the USC powerhouse in one of the greatest national championship games, and Matt Leinart, winner of the previous year’s Heisman.  Bush also won the Doak Walker, Walter Camp, and Pac-10 player of the year awards clearly crowning him the MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER in college football during the 2004-2005 season.  Let’s not fall into a witch hunt plaguing Reggie Bush as the scapegoat for years of players receiving “extra benefits” and tip-toeing around NCAA regulations, while Matt Leinart cuddles his Heisman and Pete Carroll conveniently slid out of the backdoor to the pro ranks, which prior to now held limited appeal to him.


Monday, September 6, 2010

Press Forward!


Greetings Just GQ readers!  I apologize for my recent absence, but the subject of this Just GQ speaks to the reasoning for that.  I recently relocated in order to set the train holding my future plans on the tracks with the advancement of my education in a more concentrated fashion.  As I have continued my progression through the levels of self-evolution, I have realized that in order to achieve the goals you should have already set for yourself (and we spoke earlier about goal setting in a previous Just GQ), it is a MUST that you PRESS FORWARD!

Throughout the stages in the maturation process, people evolve in relation to their environments and what holds importance to them, and because of that relationships sometimes suffer.  I have been deemed selfish in multiple situations due to my apprehension to carry relationships with me as I have changed settings, and there are, as in every situation, pros and cons to this alternative.  I am a firm believer that as you strive for achievement it is PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE to be selfish, in terms of the distribution of focus on self as opposed to others because to be bluntly honest, relationships will come and go, and as they go if more concentration is placed on others than self, self-neglect takes place and the amount you have to contribute to a relationship becomes diminished. 

Conversely, as I have matured, I have realized that while the aforementioned sentiments remain true, there is a definite possibility that a significant other can enhance your progression rather than inhibit it.  Communication wears an appropriate suit in the majority of situations, and this scenario bears no exception.  There have been times when I have been hasty and stubborn in my reception to include others in the decisions I have made.  Typically, I would automatically outcast significant others upon the completion of the decision making process, and depending on the stage of life this practice may be a wise one, BUT perhaps an evaluation of the effect your significant other could have on your experience should be in order. 

How can you evaluate this, you ask?  Peruse your past experiences with this person.  How have you all interacted prior to this point?  Have they been supportive of your advancement, or have they caused more problems?  Are they understanding of your focus and the importance of attaining your goals?  As settings change and the path the dreams becomes realized, understanding and compromise on both ends play an extremely pivotal role, and at this point compromise checks in the game!  If you know your significant other has fundamental needs in their personality that must be satisfied in order to keep them happy, MAKE A REASONABLE EFFORT to satisfy these needs with priority and respect to the achievement for which you strive.  In regards to the other party, your UNDERSTANDING and SUPPORT are vital!  Encourage the person for whom you care deeply; be a rock on which they can lean as opposed to the trap of quicksand causing them to sink!  As support systems hold essential importance, it would not be intelligent to phase people out who may be helpful to your overall progression because as I shared with you in “Falling For the Future”, when support, compromise, and communication are present, “as they strive, you strive, and as they reach, you reach!”

Special thanks to all my Just GQ readers who continued to check in the GAME in my absence.  I truly appreciate it as Just GQ continues to mature in popularity.  God Bless!