Being surrounded my affluence can inspire one to go many directions. They can follow suit and grab onto what they have seen their entire life or they take a different direction. Sometimes the opposite opens up a new world and life becomes truly inspiring. Time has some worth and shouldn’t we be using time to do things that have great meaning? Many of us take the easiest journey which we can follow and some embrace change and truly living. One thing is for sure, Mike is living.

I was lucky to grow up in a neighborhood with kids who all played some kind of meaning in my life. Most notably Mike. Mike was the older brother of my friend Danny and was always inclusive when it came to athletic activities in the neighborhood. In 1984 life changed as Mike and his family moved along with the dynamics of the neighborhood. Still a great place to live, but far different with the Mansfield’s gone. We hit and pitched many baseballs against that white garage. We were enamored in sports and having fun as all kids are at some point. However, as life moves on so do the changes that come along with it.

Mike finished up his college career out west and really never returned back east. Somehow some way he knew his purpose was beyond just making a living. He was on course to make a “life” by the means of making a living. How do you do that? I suppose that is the million dollar question, however finding your passion just might be the main added ingredient.

The neighbor who left me as a kid met me for lunch and 30 plus years later it feels like no time has gone by. In fact, we picked up where we left off and realized neither of us had changed much and we shared the same value base. However, today Mike is heavily involved in fly fishing expeditions and lives full time in Montana. He understands the land and water we all share and how important it is to enjoy it. He simply “lives” for a living. As a kid I admired him as an athlete and today I admire his life. The moral of the story here is to take your “love” and bring it into your everyday life for a living. Few can do this, however those appear to be the ones who succeed with longevity.