Two big things happened in my life last week: I finished my M.Ed. in Elementary Literacy and Deshaun Watson got drafted by the Houston Texans. Now, I know you're probably thinking there's no way those two events can possibly be related, but let's take a closer look, shall we?
First, my Masters . . .
I had always toyed with the idea of a M.Ed. in Literacy, so last March, I decided to make it happen. I really felt like it was what I was supposed to do. As I got started, I was so excited that this would lead to new opportunities. This March, however, all of these new doors I thought would open kept closing in my face, and I began to wonder why I had taken so much time away from my family, my students, and even myself to get a degree that seemed to serve no real purpose.
Ultimately, I started to feel like I was doing all this work just to end up with a very expensive piece of paper I was never going to use. I was beyond frustrated.
And then Draft Day came . . .
For the past few years, I have been a Texans fan, largely because they have J.J. Watt, whose defensive prowess is unsurpassed. He's been the Defensive Player of the Year three times, led the league in sacks twice, been to the Pro Bowl four times . . . Oh please, who am I kidding, I like J.J. Watt because he's the cutest guy in the NFL! They also have one of my favorite receivers, DeAndre "Nuk" Hopkins. I like the Texans so much, I chose them as my fantasy football team defense last season, and they did not disappoint.
As a Clemson fan, I was pumped to watch the NFL Draft because I just knew, without a doubt, Deshaun Watson was going to be the first pick. Evidently, there's a reason I don't work for ESPN. Not only was he not the first pick, he wasn't even the first quarterback drafted. In fact, he wasn't even the second quarterback taken. Picks came and went, and Watson was still on the board, so by around pick 10, I was done and ready for bed. That's when Alex pointed out the Texans were coming up, and they needed a quarterback.
Wait, what?
Are you telling me Deshaun, Nuk, J.J., and even Jadeveon Clowney, could all end up on the same team? That would be better than I could ever imagine.
Well, the Texans did pick Watson, and the disappointment I felt with the first pick was completely replaced with excitement and relief. Watson is going to an established team that has a history of making it to the playoffs, instead of to a team where, apologies to Browns fans everywhere, quarterbacks often go to die. On Friday, it was funny to be able to look back at the night and see that instead of getting all worked up (and possibly throwing things at my TV), I should have just relaxed and trusted that Watson would go where he was meant to go.
And that's what I've come to realize about my life too. Sometimes, the first pick isn't always the best pick. Sometimes what we think we want isn't always the right thing for us. Sometimes, it takes 11 tries before we hit the jackpot on the twelfth. The key is to have faith, to do what we can, and then to trust that it will work out, often better than we could ever imagine. I may not put what I learned in my Masters program to work right away, but I have to believe there is a purpose for getting it, even though I may not be able to see that purpose right now.
When you really think about it, Guns N' Roses said it best years ago: All we need is just a little patience.
And Go Texans!
Labels: life purpose, patience, sports
