What happens when you pursue the limelight of public fame to such a degree that you loose all else in the process? What happens when you reach for only the highest shelf, only the scarcest accolade, only the grandest victory and then you fall short? Not just short but instead of focusing on a lower shelf, you never even get off the ground. That is what happened to me.
My name is Alex Hutchinson. I'm 40 years old and have been chasing greatness since I was 12. During that 28 year raucous journey I was blinded by the bright lights of stardom to such a degree that it hampered all else on my path. That is a tough bit of reality to confess. The timeline of my existence has been a rollercoaster predicated on the whims of fate. Like anyone else there were plenty of small successes and a few big failures. There were lots of wrong turns, misguided decisions and awkward moments. There were smiles and tears, obstacles overcome and tragedies buried. The truth is that my goals were outrageous, unrealistic, constructed by a powerful imagination that more often than not drove me into the strangest situations. Unlike many others my life was wildly unpredictable, exciting and often dangerous.
By this age I'd hoped to be a well known novelist or a professional athlete. By this age, I hoped other people would be writing books about me. How is that for ego? So, where am I now? I'm a self-published novelist, a sports blogger, an amateur athlete and a husband. I've gotten pretty good at that last one, the rest not so much.
The reason I'm telling you all of this is that recently something peculiar has happened. I have embraced the two things that had long escaped me during the crazy years of this ride. Those things are stability and happiness. Yep, you read that right, I'm happy. Go figure. If you consider that I'm dirt poor, practically unemployable and struggling every single day to create a usable future, you might wonder where the happiness is coming from? Well my friends, that's what I'm here to uncover.
On a random basis I'm going to post stories from my often tumultuous past in order to explore the lessons within. Perhaps by deriving meaning from these snapshots we can unravel the mystery of my newly minted smile. Or maybe not. Either way it should be entertaining for both of us. So, take your seats, keep your arms inside the vehicle at all times and prepare for the worst.
Disclaimer: The names of people and places have been changed to protect identities and reputations. The only person getting investigated when this is all over will probably be me.
