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I have three things hanging up in my apartment. In my living room, there is a map of the Philippines and a commemorative painting of the Bridgewater's 2001 Stagg Bowl team. My mother bought and hung these. I broke my leg in 2001, so I watched the 2001 Stagg Bowl from the stands. My leg still hurts on cold days. The Philippines map is just something on the wall.

My Bridgewater diploma hangs in my bedroom. I guess I am proud of it, but I know its just a piece of paper.

I have another picture that is not hung. (My mother forgot about it before she left.) It is a newspaper picture of Crozet Pizza. On the left of Crozet Pizza is Maupins' Music and Video. I could look at that picture all day. The little video store was the foundation for the diploma, the Philippines, and the Stagg Bowl. It is where I learned about life. It was where I learned the importance of productivity and value added. It was where I learned to take chances. It was where I learned that failure was sunk. I am lumping the video store with Crozet (my house and the grocery store and the schools), but my values came from the video store.

The other pictures are incompatible with my video store values.

I love football. But it is a game played by boys searching for their childhood (especially at the DIII level.) I will not say it is destructive, but it is certainly not productive. My leg, shoulder, and elbow hurts tonight.

Education can be useful. But what matters is what you do with your education. I am doing nothing with it.

The last statement leads us right into the Philippines. The Philippines is full of potential, but I did not help it reach its potential. I probably hurt it.

Some of my colleagues have different values than I do. Their video store was academia. It was the classroom. They have an easier time accepting diplomas and expense paid trips to developing countries.

Other colleagues have similar values to me. Instead of video stores, they might have farms. Some like myself get caught up in envy of the others and compromise everything we know is true. Others make courageous decisions and continue to strive for the ideal. They refuse to sell their values for lies.

My life is about me. I do not know what will happen tomorrow, but I cannot wait to find out.