They called them crazy when they started out
Said, "Seventeen's too young to know what loves about"
They've been together fifty-eight years now
That's crazy
He brought home sixty-seven bucks a week
Bought a little 2 bedroom house on Maple Street
Where she blessed him with six more mouths to feed
Now that's crazy
Just ask him how he did it
He'll say, "Pull up a seat
It'll only take a minute
To tell you everything"
Be a best friend, tell the truth
And overuse "I love you"
Go to work, do your best
Don't outsmart your common sense
Never let your prayin' knees get lazy
And love like crazy
They called him crazy when he quit his job
Said them home computers, boy, they'll never take off
Well, he sold his one man shop to Microsoft
And they paid like crazy
Just ask him how he made it
He'll tell you faith and sweat
And the heart of a faithful woman
Who never let him forget
Be a best friend, tell the truth
And overuse "I love you"
Go to work, do your best
Don't outsmart your common sense
Never let your prayin' knees get lazy
And love like crazy
Always treat your woman like a lady
Never get to old to call her baby
Never let your prayin' knees get lazy
And love like crazy
They called him crazy when they started out
They've been together fifty-eight years now
Ain't that crazy?
Love Like Crazy (Official Music Video)-Lee Brice
This idea about the border between "normal" and "crazy" similarly pertains to my life throughout the past year. Last year, my freshman year of college, I attended the University of Maryland on a 80% softball scholarship. As cool as that sounds, I was miserable. At the end of the year, I knew I had to transfer. My parent's did not support my decision, due to the minimal amount of money I needed to pay for tuition, because of my scholarship. I went against their wishes, got my release from my athletic contract and applied to other universities. The University of Pittsburgh was, by far, my favorite. Because it was in the middle of the summer, the coaches no longer had any scholarship money left, but gave me the option of a walk-on tryout, with no guarantee of making the team. I enrolled at Pittsburgh, knowing only two people and signed an apartment lease with girls I had never met. A week after school started, I tried out for the softball team, and actually made it. Today, I am the starting short stop for our team and so much happier than I ever was at my old school.
Similar to the couple in "Love Like Crazy", many people, even my parents called me crazy a year ago. I left a great academic school at Maryland and a large Division 1 program with a pretty big scholarship that many kids can only dream of while growing up. In exchange, I transferred to a school where I had no idea if I would ever play softball again along with barely knowing a soul. A year later, I can honestly say that going against the norm of society and despite the opinions of my friends and family, transferring to Pittsburgh has been the best decision of my entire life.
During my transferring process and try-out period, I constantly read Steve Job's famous quote in order to reassure my decision. I hope that it gives you the courage, just like it did with me, to defy the odds set by society and follow your dreams, no matter how "crazy" they may seem.
"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do." -Steve Jobs
By: Kaila Balatgek
I think that your story highlights the point that only you know what you truly want even if that means going against "normal"
ReplyDeleteI applaud you for having the courage to make the decision to leave UMD. Many people don't have the courage to take the unsure route for fear that things won't work out. Contrary to what a lot of people believe, I still think that we live in a society where are tightly bound by and hyper-conscious of social norms and expectations. Sometimes taking that step on faith can be the most important step you ever take.
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome story! I love this song as well. Your story defintiely proves that sometimes going against the norm and doing what everyone else sees as crazy is important. I definitely agree that people should stand out and do what they want to do even if it seems to be crazy to everyone else. Sometimes we do things that no one else could understand until it is all worked out as in your situation. Sometimes it is hard to pull away from the norm for fear of these ridicules, but it is good to see that it is worth it!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your success! I love hearing about occurrences like that. I do like to believe that there is a certain balance in the world. That if you take a leap of faith, take that extraordinary chance in your life (whatever it may be), that some day in some form you will be rewarded. Because you made a certain difficult decision or took a courageous gamble, you will be rewarded with something that was only able to be because you made that certain decision. You may not realize that any given “reward” or positive occurrence in your life is the result of a former choice, but it very well could be just that. The natural world is very harmonious in many directly observable ways: birth/death cycle in organisms, the precise orbit of cosmic bodies… Is there unity throughout every aspect of nature? Every human decision and action? It may not always be blatantly evident, but I do really love to think that for every form of life on this planet there is some kind of balance, whether it is known or unknown
ReplyDelete