Wednesday, September 2, 2009

To the boys in the hood


Hi Guys,

The East Coast is not nearly as bad as you warned me about. Different from what you told me. There really are nice people and things east of the 405 freeway. I’m happy to report that the other hoop players did not actually punch me in the throat when going for a rebound. Everyone does not pack pistols and it only rains every other day. The hills in my four mile daily run are not the size of mountains and the mosquitoes are only large enough to carry small babies away!

You were right on a few things – it is really humid and there are far fewer convertibles and motorcycles.

While these were many of the jokes my basketball buddies razzed me about at my going away party, it does make one think about all the silly things people say and how important it is for each of us to sort out what we truly believe. If we take things too seriously we will lock ourselves into inaction and take no risks in life (or in our career).

Have you received silly advice and later found out it was not worthy of your consideration?

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Yes! After my own similar experience my sapient advice is to consider the source and the motivation.
Do you think that your friends were going to miss you and they were hoping that you would hate it "out east" and return to them?

Michael said...

John - home is where the heart is. I moved to the East Coast - heart of the jungle mid-town NYC 21 years ago - having started life in a smalltown farm community in central IL. I LOVE IT.
One can get lost in the chaos, or find the pockets and enjoyment in it all.
In regards some of the "hard-noses", the good thing is that there aren't a lot of hidden agendas - you know where people are coming from - whether you like them or not is your own decision and opportunity.
Welcome to the East!

anna.m.monaco said...

Imagine life if we did not seize opportunity, travel to new destinations, meet new people. Life is about discovery, about new places, new perspectives and mostly important, life is about discovery of self. I applaud your courage to enter the unknown and make it your own! I appreciate that you share your experiences with us as you navigate through this journey we call life. How's the food?

Eric E said...

It is always possible that silly "advice" comes with the best of intentions, but often through a bias or lens that aligns with the person giving the advice subscribing to it. Often times, it's easy to accept this advice when it comes from a perceived higher source. I'm personally glad to have the right balance of friends and mentors that often "keep it real" and help me tune my "silly vs sage" advice meter, especially when it comes to my career.

Anonymous said...

Great post John. How’s it going? Are you settling in ok? Here with Lisa Ann, Cam and Anya and everyone says hi. Just got back from basketball. We miss you out there. I was the recipient of a Sammy elbow at the end of the last game; purely unintentional. You know he drives all the way under the basket for the reverse layup move…. Need a stitch or two inside the mouth but going without it. Watch out for the mosquitoes. Tom

John Bishop said...

Thanks for the comments. The boys in the hood are some of my best friends and the hardest to leave. They still wonder what the heck I did by setting up a second home.

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