I Was in the Midst of Realizing, I’d Rather Be Here

With no more than 3 seconds left on the clock, and a mere deficit of 1, that building anticipation was like no other. Like every fiber of my body stood on guard to wait for the conclusion, I watched. Oh, I watched. With a deep intensity, like my life was decided by this last point, I watched.

In a singular millisecond, everything stopped. We all did. Buzzers blaring and a crowd hollering. We all realized we had won.

As each and every person adjacent and across from my seat in the stands erupted in a combination of laughter, joy, and surprise, I myself realized something.

Despite my apprehension, that blistering cold gnawing at my fingertips, that “oh, I want to be at home,” and all of my second, third, and even fourth thoughts. Despite that, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else on this planet than right here, right now.

More than just a victory for us, for our band, it was a present. To be surrounded by the moments you'd live with for the rest of your life. The moments you'll tell your children about. The moments you'll yearn for in the succeeding years. The moments you'd wish you had to think back on in those dark places.

That. That was my realization.

Sitting in the stands, adrenaline coursing through my veins, surrounding by the people I love, I was in the midst of realizing. I'd rather be here at this second, of this year, of this decade, of this microcosm of the lifespan of the universe.