Wasted Life

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Few things make me cringe as much as the idea of living a wasted life. Thinking about it, I’ve wondered what it is that drives people to lethargy. How can it be possible to live without constantly striving to attain a goal, discover something new, or improve the life of those around them? There are a lot of things going through my mind.

As I ponder Mark’s upcoming move to the U.S. Navy, I realize that our time together is slowly coming to a close. It’s difficult to see your younger brother growing up and doing something that takes a tremendous amount of courage and thought. Once he leaves, I’ll have successfully slapped the back of every one of my strong, supporting friends/family goodbye as they leave to make something of their life. While I do not feel it was an accident or mistake for me to have returned to school at OSU, I’m clamping at the bit to graduate this quarter and finally do something. Anything.

Living in New York City was one of the best experiences to have ever happened to me. It helped to open my eyes at how large the world really is. Somewhere, someplace, there is always something happening; a transaction taking place, idea being formed, couple being wed, or somebody finally takes in their last breath. Life does not stop for anybody. One of the best pieces of advice I received was from a colleague, who said “Aaron, New York is a city with millions of people who are all alone.” Nobody stops to ask you how your day is going. It’s a cold, heartless place that demands you keep a solid spirit. Walking down the city streets, I watched as an elderly man vomited into a trash can. Nobody stopped to help him or ask if there was anything they could do. Come to think about it, neither did I. Never underestimate how quickly your heart and good intentions can disappear in the name of conformity.

New York was a cold and heartless place. However, it was quite necessary for me to have learned that life does not come handed to you on a silver platter. Greatness does not happen by accident, and success is most certainly intentional. Since returning home, it’s taken me a while to adjust to the slower pace of Columbus, OH. However, I’m itching to get back into the grind of new business ventures, slowly making my mark on this earth.

As I consider my post graduation options, California seems to have the most appeal for me. My older brother, Steven Plaat, is there and strongly pushing for me to make the trip to live there. I believe he and I could do great things together. While there’s a large part of me that feels I’m grown up enough to live on my own as an independent bachelor, there’s a stronger part in me that enjoys being with my family and having the dynamic of a strong brother to grow with. We never grow up — we just get older.

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