The Many Steps of Life (A Male Perspective)

As a young boy, I was full of excitement. Birthday's of my close friends had me giddy with excitement for weeks in advance. I remember an August when my friend Dwight was having his birthday at a paintball arena in Santa Cruz. The paintball arena was an abandoned prison with points to capture flags and hold hostages. After the paintball excursion we stayed at his beach house and watched movies like "Shaft" and "U-571". We were spoiled. His Santa Cruz house had a whale watching 3rd floor with a telescope. I have never been as excited since then.

As a young adult, I went to Europe for a month, backpacking through foreign countries with no expectations. I wouldn't say I had excitement, I would say I had hesitation. I walked through fire, barefoot, the night before I left for this life changing trip, and had an infection by the time we arrived in France. I did some self operation and cured it, only later to twist my ankle in Barcelona, Spain on a tailslide revert.

The day I arrived at college we bought three thirty packs of budweiser, and a pack of Marlboro lights for me. The police showed up at the party we were at and gave minor in posesstions to everyone with a beer in their hand. I casually smoked my pack outside of the party on a couch and the police didn't ask me any questions.

TO BE CONTINUED