It seems that love is in the air. Every time I log onto my Facebook account someone is in a entering into a relationship, or their relationship is taking the next logical step which involves a ring and betting half your stuff with another person. Over the past seven months abroad I feel like a new couple heading down the aisle. This is absolutely insane or at least I feel that way because there is no way I would ever be ready to settle down with one person for the rest of my life. I am not saying those embarking on the path of marriage are wrong but it has made me think about what exactly I want out of my life.
I am 23 years old, single, and hopefully for the next few years of my life will be playing global roulette every 8-to-10 months out of the year. The career path I have chosen to go down is not an easy one, a common misconception of what being a professional athlete really entails. I am fortunate to live in a country in which the residents speak English and I have attempted to "woo" some of the beautiful Mediterranean women here in Israel. It can be difficult at times because of the language barrier but after a night out in Russia with a few of my teammates, the semi-broken English here is much better than no English in many parts of the world.
Over these past seven months I have changed into what I feel is a better, smarter, more driven person and I can't help but wonder how I will change in the next seven or even 14 months. I have really grown up a lot from my days roaming around Madison and I am very proud of the person I am becoming. But that is kind of my point I am still growing and really trying to figure out exactly what I want out of my life. So for me watching all these relationships develop while I am still trying to learn exactly who I am is a little scary, but also very reassuring that I have chosen the right path for me because I know it will be quite some time before I will be settling down for good.
I know there is more to life than basketball and finding a person that I will be able to spend every day with will come in time, but I know for me I must first truly be comfortable in my own skin to be able to find someone who I will be able experience life with. I know I am on my way to figuring everything out and living abroad has definitely helped me realize that there is no rush into something that is supposed to be forever.
Since our European season is now over and I have pretty much been delegated as a practice player not much is new on the basketball side of life. Days are getting long but the light is at the end of the tunnel. I am about six or seven weeks away from getting my hands on a Chipotle burrito and completing my first professional season. This has led to me spending extended amounts of time cruising through TV series and planning my summer which will be filled with several weddings. Just because I do not think I will be celebrating my own wedding anytime soon does not mean I can't enjoy myself at my friends' weddings.
Keeping my life compartmentalized. Not letting not playing affect the rest of my life or happiness. Working on try find another avenue in which I can explore/excel at after hoops gets done. I learned a lot from this experience and have grown up a lot. I'll continue to grow and learn about the world and be thankful for all the opportunities I have been given.
(Note:You can find the archive of Mike Bruesewitz's Imported Bru stories and photo galleries here and listen to his latest podcast here.)
