The Simple Year

Well here I sit in the famous study room in my old home in Groveport, Ohio. This is a room where much went down in my younger days - incredible board games were played here, the Christmas tree used to be in here, all my big school papers and projects were done in here, and I think the best of all conversations went down in this room. It is a room of warm thought... and I love it. I'm currently listening to an old Johnny Cash record (time to flip it) that is crackling through the speakers of a record player I bought for my Mom at a thrift store two years ago. Ah, yes, that is where I met my friend Dirk, an incredible historian/junk dealer who helped me find a good record player and some good records for my Mom. Dirk is a really cool guy, but that's another story. All I know is I have two cans of Miller Lite here to last me this blog. It's officially Christmas Eve 2007 and I'm relaxing.

I'm not reminiscing about this past year with a nostalgic feeling like you might think. Instead, I've been thinking about what the true underlying thing I've been running from / running for is, and what it is that drove me to embark on the Journey America Tour this year.

After all this thinking, I've realized the answer is simple. Simple... simple... simple.

Simplicity. It is not the way it is these days. It is what I am runnng for. Everybody (well, almost) has way too much to do and way too little time to do it. Everybody has big dreams that they hope to achieve somehow, yet they continue this vicious cycle of working their tails off only to buy more stuff that they don't need, which does not add an ounce of joy to their lives. No, they just put that stuff to the side somewhere after the initial high runs out and then go and buy more stuff. But what is stuff? Stuff... stuff... stuff. It's the exact opposite of simplicity, and that is what I've been running from. All the time used to buy this clutter and little did you know the time is gone, the time that could be used to live has been traded for stuff that won't go with you when you die, and I hope you don't want to remembered for it either. It's what I'm running from.

Anybody who knows me will tell you that 98.6% of everything I own I bought used or is a hand-me-down or given to me. I simply don't want. I wanna live healthy and live free, but I don't wanna want. I know that every want that is not a need will take me away from what is real, and I don't want that. I wanna simplify... live simply, and show the world that it is a beautiful and joyful thing to live without a whole lotta stuff. Each time I want something I think of the many other things that this money could be used for, and I quickly change my mind, with a deep breath of thankfulness, thinking "Thank God for what I have."

Look, people, I have been given soooo much this year, probably more than anybody else, not because I wanted it, but because I put myself into a situation in which I needed it. I walked the faithful line that God would provide every time I needed it... and He did. More than I have told you all in my blogs, I have been sincerely blessed. At the precise time that I needed something, I got it! Not when I thought I needed it or when I wanted it, but when I truly needed it. God was there and worked in a million different mysterious ways.

Back to the topic, simplicity... the simple life. It is what I strive for. To me it is the most beautiful thing a man can have - the clarity to see what is really important in this world and to discard the rest. That being said, I have made my 'Simple List' for you all to enjoy. These are the top ten objects of importance in my life as of right now, what I love:

1. God - hands down the best reason to live in this world
2. People - Family, then friends, then enemies, I love 'em all
3. Freedom - simply put
4. Nature - the mountains, the ocean, all that can be seen from the road and on a quiet day
5. Music - the best massage I know for the soul
6. Sport - heavy breathing, sweat, and competition can do amazing things for one's quality of life
7. Travel - the word just makes me wanna dream about places like... Iceland.
8. Food - As my Mama says, "Food is a celebration of life!"
9. A Woman - okay, this will probably get bumped up on the list I'm sure... lol
10. Coffee - oh yes

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This all being said, I have one major distraction that has kept me - and will continue keeping me - from fully achieving my goals, until dealt with. The word, the sick word - debt. I have debt incurred from college that I simply need to pay... ASAP. Thus, I am now working full-time as a tennis teaching professional to completely pay off that sick thing that keeps us from capturing our dreams, called debt.

I will leave you this one piece of advice about debt: Don't get into it... period, unless you want to be a slave to it. Freedom is much too valuable to trade for debt.

My goal is to be completely debt free and have a nice cash reserve by the end of 2008, and who knows what 2009 will bring.
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Next tournaments: I am playing two in Florida in January. Get this, I paid $37 round trip after taxes to fly down there... thanks Skybus!


A very Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Signing off...

~ Nate