“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…” — Dr. Seuss
LOCATION: Nonthaburi, Thailand (just outside of Bangkok).
PHOTO CREDIT: Satta Photography (www.facebook.com/sattaektrakul).
I’ve been away… Offline, that is, for quite some time. An inordinate amount of time, in fact.
Away. But not out of the lab.
Let me explain. The past few months have felt like my world has been rocked by a hurricane… in the best way possible. Yes, I’ve been all out of sorts. Dishevelled at times. But, having a baby will do that to you.
In June, my Better Half and I welcomed our little one, Makaí Bernard, into the world. Now, I know, I’m not the first person to have a kid. You see… we also decided to close down shop in Cayman and move half way around the world.
New City. New Lifestyle. New Job.
I recently accepted a position back in the NBA based out of Asia. Hong Kong will be my home base for the foreseeable future; although this new position requires me to head up basketball development for a territory that includes all of southeast Asia, New Zealand, and Australia. (Oh baby!)
Am I excited? No question. Elated, more so. It’s actually a combination of excitement and disbelief. In my youth, I could have never imagined a future like this.
Since starting in my new role with the NBA, I’ve travelled to China (twice), the Philippines (thrice!), Singapore, and Thailand — all in the name of basketball…!
It’s still amazing to me the places the places I’ve gone and the people I’ve been fortunate to meet (over the years), all because of a little, round, orange, ball.
Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants.
A friend recently said to me, in a far more articulate way, that a 2-degree course correction early on, becomes a significant change of direction later down the path. I love this thought.
There are so many people who have positively impacted my life; in small yet very measurable ways. They were guideposts… pit stops… navigators… benchmarks… wake up calls. All seemingly insignificant at the time.
Time has proven their impact to be far greater. For that, I’m eternally grateful. I will always remember that small things can make a big difference. I am where I am because of the contributions each of you have made to my life.
THANK YOU to all who showed me that I am the one who’ll decide where I go. I’m am, without a doubt, standing on the shoulders of giants.
Living and teaching possibility.
/sef.
