And with what seemed like a quick power nap, and what felt like a blink of an eye, I awoke to cheers, clapping, a standing ovation, and a lot of laughter. I thought to myself at this point, “it’s only been like 5 seconds? Why are they clapping already…”. Well, I looked up at the clock and it was now 9:50 P.M.!!!!

He showed me that when I laugh, it’s always best to laugh with my whole body. He showed me that as powerful as storytelling is, listening intently can have even more of an impact. Because of the sacrifices he made throughout his life, the least I can do is be the hardest working person in the room and make this world a better place for the rest of my life so that the lessons he passed down to me are meaningful.

Arm after arm, legs just dragging along, I watched her work up a sweat in the hot August heat, covering herself in sand and no doubt causing brush burns on her motionless legs. I watched in disbelief as it took her ten minutes to crawl 20 yards just to reach the edge of the water...

I started treading water with Steven’s head on my chest talking to him saying, “Steven! Come on buddy you gotta wake up.” I started slapping his face, saying louder and louder, “Steven! Come on Steven! I need you to wake up for me now.”

I sure as hell wasn’t going to let my mind be filled with someone trying to tell me that I needed to sacrifice my standards just to be successful in life.