Friends, Mothers, and MVPs

Kevin Durant’s MVP speech made my Mother’s Day blog this year pretty easy. I’ve watched it a few times and wept every time. Sure I might be an emotional sap but it really struck a chord with me on several different levels. But I’ll only talk about two.

First, KD talked about each and every teammate and gave specific examples on how they have positively influenced his life. There were times throughout the season, and even his entire career, which he felt discouraged, where he failed, where the odds were stacked against him. But he survived in no small part because of the community and teammates around him. Yes KD is the star on the team. And yes, he had the best 2013-2014 NBA season of any player including Lebron James. However, that does not imply he did it alone or by steer will power of self-strength and fortitude. Even though that particular narrative of a lone superstar “willing his team to victory” has become the staple by which elite players are judged by it’s also unreal. No one can win alone.

In the same way several people in my life, which I could give specific examples of, have helped me “win” this game called life. I need encouragement and affirmation just like anyone else. I also need wisdom when I’m trying to figure stuff out. I also need examples to watch and mimic in order to have epiphanies and “Oh, that’s how you do it” moments.

Second, and the most appropriate for this weekend, KD talked about his mother and gave her the most praise. He talked about how much she sacrificed, how much she motivated him while he was playing basketball as a kid, how she kept him off the streets, the nights she went hungry so that he wouldn’t, which ultimately led to this moment, “mom, you’re the real MVP.” The camera capturing Durant’s mother’s reaction while he was saying these things was priceless.



I kept thinking about my mom and all the same things she did for my sister and I. Sadly, I would never have the opportunity to express the immense gratitude like Durant did. I don’t know if she could still see me now. But if she could I believe she would have a similar reaction much like Durant’s mother. And as the years passes by I realize more and more my mother is the real MVP.

Happy Mother's Day.

Shooting Stuff & Bro Time

A while back Eric and PJ invited me to go shooting with them. I’ve wanted to do this for a while, so I couldn’t pass this up. I have daughters now, so I should start equipping myself with the skills needed to be a good father. Learning how to handle guns should be close to the top of the list for fathers with daughters. It was also an opportunity to get some “guy time” with my brothers-in-law since when the three of us are together we’re usually in the company of 27 screaming children. Atoms can’t even bond under those circumstances.

We got an early start on the day and went by to pick up the equipment (e.g., guns). As I watched my brothers-in-law loading the car, I thought they were getting ready to invade Iran. You probably know they’re former military dudes and know how to handle guns. I, however, handled a gun once about 10 years ago. Despite growing up in a bad part of East Los Angeles, I never got into guns. This really was a new experience for me. PJ went through all the safety procedures and proper gun etiquette before I even touched a gun. He even started breaking down the different types of guns we had and going over the year, make, and model like a used car salesmen. Could I tell you any of the information PJ shared with me? Of course not, I only remember the guns required bullets of some kind.

Eric, on the other hand, simply said, “Just throw the clay so we can start shooting.” Naturally, it took me a while to get the hang of it. I missed quite a few times at the beginning and began feeling less and less like a man. But once I got the hang of it and started hitting the clay I started to get fired up. There’s something affirming for a man when he obliterates inanimate objects. Women like to create things like Arts & Crafts, digital photo albums, and babies. Men bond over food (especially bacon), blowing stuff up, and doing dangerous things completely unsupervised. That’s just how it works.

After a few hours of shooting from several different guns at several different types of targets we cleaned everything up and headed to In-&-Out for some burgers. During this time, we got to talk about what’s going on with our lives without 27 screaming children climbing on top of each other. It was great. I cherish these few moments in life especially new experiences like shooting stuff with really big guns. I love my brothers-in-law. I totally have an intelligential, analytical, and systematic side much like PJ. There’s also a part of me like Eric which is the “shut up and just do it,” adventurous, no-nonsense, “jumping out of planes” side, except for the part about jumping out of planes because I’m afraid of heights. But if I weren’t afraid of heights . . . uh . . . I probably still wouldn’t jump out of planes. The point being is that I connect with each of my brothers-in-law with different sides of my brain. I’m happy to be a part of the family, and I’m extremely happy they’re equipping me for fatherhood.