Mamba Mentality

There are moments in life when you just feel the whole world stop, if only for a second. Sunday was that day for a lot of people around the world. Kobe was dead. Three simple words that carried so much weight. It was jarring, unsettling and unbelievable. My friends and I were the biggest Kobe fans. We all love Jordan but Kobe fans are just a different breed. Memories flooded back to every backyard game yelling, "Kobe", as we all pretended to be him. All the games we watched on the edge of ours seats as he literally willed his teams to victory. I never met Kobe personally but he felt like someone I knew. I did see him maybe twice at a game against my hometown Grizzles (he torched us). When tragedies strike we often say, "I was just talking about...". Ironically though we literally were just talking about him. I watched Lebron's game with mixed emotions as he passed Kobe's scoring record. I watched old highlights of Kobe that whole night. So Sunday when one of my friends text me I was still just thinking about Kobe's record. Then I heard the news. I was devastated. It was hard to put into words what I felt. I didn't know Kobe but at the same time I felt like I did. I had defended this man. I had rooted for this man. I had imitated this man. I don't get wrapped in celebrities. I've never been starstruck. I don't have any Kobe jerseys, shoes, or memorabilia. What I do have is an indelible connection between willpower and Kobe. When the news about the other passengers including his daughter came out, the pain multiplied. I again watched every highlight, every commercial and every clip I could find. I watched people talk about their memories and I cried. I cried not for personal loss but from a emphatic sense of sorrow. I too had memories of times with friends and family and to think of never having those moments again was heartbreaking. My brother is 41. The thought of him just tragically being gone would be devastating. My niece is 12. The thought of her not being here would tear my heart out. I know that life isn't promised. We don't get to choose when we die. There are times though when you've prepared for it and there are others when you just wish it didn't have to be like that. It was tragic what happened to all those people on that helicopter, Kobe or not. As humans we don't have to know someone to feel trauma over a tragic event. When tragic things happen it is only human to feel some twinge of pain. If you don't the problem isn't with the people mourning over someone they maybe didn't know, it's with you. Anyone that can't feel something about families losing loved ones has a problem. It may not affect your life, but a moment to just reflect costs you nothing. To the people that immediately started to bring up issues from his past, please remember that you aren't perfect either. If you didn't like him then just say nothing. If you didn't know those people you can still take a moment to just reflect on personal losses. Kobe meant a lot to a lot of people and those other people on the helicopter meant a lot to the people in their lives. Mamba mentality was about willpower. The determination to despite whatever circumstances that you find yourself in, that you will yourself to be successful. That's what I will take from this. To cherish the memories and moments in life with those I love and to will myself to success. MAMBA OUT. 
                                                      

Under Construction

OK so it's been quite a minute since I've posted. Had a 10 year writer's block. Like a comet I come into orbit only ever so often. I am going to try to strike fire this time. My life has changed drastically in the last 10 years. So please bear with me and feel free to take this journey with me. I promise you it's a wild ride. HOLD ON & BUCKLE UP! ....