June 11, 2010 - An important date

When I was in fifth grade, I was a second-string forward on my school’s basketball team. While I enjoyed going to practice because it meant competing in scrimmage games (and therefore actually playing), it was hard for me to get excited for actual games since I was behind the coach’s son in the rotation and therefore saw little time on the floor.

As I prepared to go to ALP on the day of one of my school’s basketball games, my Dad encouraged to psych myself up by telling people on the opposing team that we were going to beat them. I didn’t have the heart to tell my Dad that I didn’t know anyone on Oakview’s basketball team, so instead I decided that I would go up to some of the ALP kids from Oakview and tell them we were going to win that night.

In class I took a seat next to a kid who I knew was from Oakview – that was about all I knew about him – and after one of our lessons was over I pumped myself up and turned towards him.

“We’re going to kick your butt tonight,” I said anxiously.

“Uh…okay?” he responded, shrugging his shoulders and never really taking his eyes off his notebook.

I know this seems like an utterly forgettable encounter with random classmate, but in this case it happens to be my memory of how I first met Josh Hearne. At the very least, it can be called an auspicious start to a friendship that has now been an integral part of who I am for well over half of my life.

Some people come into your life and change you because they are different from you and can share their experiences with you. They introduce you to new things and educate you based on the things they already know. Josh is not one of those people.

Josh affects those around him simply by being who he is. His personality and demeanor have always made me try to improve myself, and not because he tries to be cool or because he encourages anyone to impress him. Josh just seems to be doing things right. You don’t benefit from knowing Josh because of the experiences either of you have had before, you benefit because of how you each grow and the experiences you share together.

Even if I were to never see Josh again – which would be one of the worst tragedies that could befall me – my life would continue to be informed by the time we’ve spent together. Simply put, Josh is a part of me. I can only hope that other people have such a beneficial, rewarding relationship with someone.

Josh is my friend and the closest thing I have to a brother, and I love him for being a part of my life. He looks for (and can find) the best in people. He maintains compassion and perspective when it would be remarkably easy for him to be glib and complacent. He can tell people how he feels.

I admire Josh. He knows an immense amount about topics that I cannot even begin to fathom. He can see things in ways that I cannot. He thinks and acts with a true concern for the wellbeing of others. And even though I have been fortunate enough to know Josh for a long time and watch him grow into the person he is today, I believe that these traits are not confined to the relationship he and I have.

Josh is a truly great person. I am lucky to know him and honored that he calls me his friend. My friend Viktor would say that Josh deserves to have lived this long, but I believe Josh deserves much more than that.

Today is Josh’s birthday, and I hope that this year is his best yet. He may not have helped psych me up for the game against Oakview back in fifth grade, but over the years he has helped make me a better person, and for that I can never thank him enough.

Oh, and we beat Oakview that night. I never got in the game.