Fall is Fading

 Hey guys! 

    Fall has started to fade as it has only gotten colder and colder the past few weeks. However, the summer sun is trying to stick around as we have had a couple of nicer days this past week with temperatures in the fifties and sixties. This is a sign of the times of year where I start to dread going outside or staying out in the cold for an extended period of time. Even though the cold does suck sometimes, I have begun to really love the peacefulness of winter here in Ada. 

    With that being said and with winter just around the corner, means that fall ball for lacrosse is starting to wind down. After finishing my last Fall semester practice at eight this morning and as I started to walk out of the stadium I decided to just turn around and see. The pink and orange sunrise, the dark night sky fading, that cold Ada breeze blowing, and all I could think about was that this would be mine very last fall lacrosse practice. As I sat there just staring into the sky, I decided to take a look all around me. I heard the birds chirping, the sun was rising in front of me, and I was surrounded by those I love and the sport I love. It almost felt like a full circle moment to me, as I had realized that for the past fifteen or so years my goal had to been to play college lacrosse, and now I am standing here about to walk out of my last fall practice here at ONU. Everybody says to enjoy it while it last because it flies by, well that could not be more true. Seems like yesterday I was walking onto the same field as a small 130 pound freshman who was a nervous wreck, and could barely catch a ball for the first fifteen minutes of practice. And, while I still do drop a ball here or there, that nervous little kid has gone away. I have seen tremendous growth in myself over these past four years and I owe it all to the people around me. The biggest impact lacrosse has had on me is how to not only be disciplined in your actions, but also decisive and confident. These are skills that I will take with me into my professional journey and utilize to be the best version of myself. 

    Switching topics a bit, this winter I would like to start the habit of reading at least ten pages of a book every day for a month. I will track this with a bookmarker and reminders on my phone to ensure I do not miss a day. During my childhood, I really enjoyed reading and found action or adventure stories to be most interesting. Since then, my favorite book and series has been The Hunger Games. I read the entire series two times through in middle school and I can still remember sitting in my bunk-bed and just reading. This was the first time in my life where I was reading for fun, no word or page count, did not have to finish three chapters in one sitting, I was just reading. I had attempted this challenge to myself over this past summer, however this fell out of hand pretty quickly as my internship kept me more than busy. However, I think this challenge will be very beneficial and I look forward to starting it.

What about you guys? Do you read? Any recommendations?