“That's why I hustle hella hard, never celebrate a holiday

That'll be the day I coulda finally hit the lottery

I refuse to ever lose or throw my shot away

Or chalk it up as just another one that got away…”

* My Shot (Rise Up Remix), The Roots

I like that song. I feel that it sets the right message; don’t throw away your shot, essentially. I’m 35 years old now. And, I still live in Avis. No matter how much I longed to get out into the world, I couldn’t act on a stage like that to save my life.

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I suppose that the main message to take away from me is to dream big, but understand that, sometimes, those dreams do not come true. And, like the great Mick Jagger said, “You get what you need.”. I truly believe that. I did get what I needed. I have a good life. I finished my degree in liberal arts, and got married, had kids, and got a job as a speech and theater teacher at a local private school.

Me and Tyler kept in touch. I didn’t get to figure out his big secret though, which was kind of sad. But I will ask him about it. Eventually.

The clock started for me. What about you? What are you going to do to follow your dreams? And what are you going to do when they don’t exactly come out the way they want to? Think about it.