When I was younger, I was pretty coordinated and taller than most of my peers. Ergo, I really enjoyed basketball and I played all the time. Looking back, that was the last time I enjoyed one task for an extended period of time. I’m too impatient to do long term dating; thus far, the whole concept bores me. I’ve had roughly 16 jobs, innumerable career ideas, and 15 cars. I haven’t had a clue what I wanted to do with my life until about one year ago.
After high school, there were a handful of people who knew what they were going to do; they went off to college, graduated, and are doing well. Otherwise, there are the rest of us who didn’t know what we’re good at? I liked sports, Brett Favre, music, being awkward with girls, Coca Cola, Pizza Hut, playing video games, and hanging out with my friends. What could I have done with that skill set? I could’ve started writing a novel about being lazy and jobless? I would’ve called it, My Life is Awful.
Over the span of 26 years, I only wrote when I was asked to. Most of the time, I was told to write papers that I had no interest writing. “Hey, Eric – read The Bell Jar and write 5 pages correlating it to that fascinating Charlotte Perkins Gilman piece about depression and the wall paper.” Are you telling me that I’m actually paying you to let me do this? When can I start?! Thanks! I did not enjoy writing until January of 2010.
It was the day before Christmas break and I was in the admissions office chatting with Caryn, one of VU’s finest, when the Vice President of Marketing, Pat Kerrigan, walked in. I’m not shy, so I said, “Good morning, Pat.” To which he responded, “Oh, yeah, you’re…” “Eric,” I said. Pat looked at the floor briefly, looked up, his eyes widened, and he said, “Oh, the internship guy at the Mathy” (we’d met prior to this chance encounter). My friend was correct. That was me – Eric the Mathy guy. Then, he asked me if I was adept with Facebook, Twitter, and Blogging. I emphatically answered yes to all of these; before I left had a meeting set up in January with the VP of Marketing and Communications at my university.
Truth be told, I had no idea what I was about to be doing. All I wanted to do was get Caryn coffee and a donut. I knew about Twitter and had an account; and I was pretty familiar with Facebook. Those 2 weren’t a big deal, but the blogging? Does that mean you’re going to let me voice my musings for other people to read? Anyone who knows me may have thought Pat spent too much time out in the cold that morning.
Why would I write? Who cares what’s on my mind? In myriad ways, I’m just like many other students that go to VU. This is me: I hate math, didn’t necessarily rock the ACT; I get average grades, and I often dress like I’m homeless. I’m incredibly poor right now and spend too much time in the library. I am not unique. Then it dawned on me… maybe I am unique. My thoughts are unique; they are one of few things I have that are actually unique. Maybe I can make this interesting… So, I started writing the blog.
The reason Pat asked me to write the “Final Word” is because he thought it would be a fun question. Why do I write? Well, I write because Pat asked me to. I write because my friend, Amanda, has always encouraged me to. I write because it’s a great outlet for the Jay-Z lyrics that I frequently and oddly connect to my daily life. I write because I want to share my view of this rock with others. I write because I would like to make money communicating my words and ideas via advertising.
I wasn’t the best basketball player I knew as a kid; far from it. But, when you’re taller than the other kids and the coach tells you to play, you ball. Last December, when I was getting coffee for Caryn and Pat asked me to write for the school it wasn’t because I’m the best writer on campus; not even close. It’s because I have a big mouth, talk with everyone I see, and I get lucky sometimes.
Viterbo University 