Thoughts from Overlook Cup 2008

I love “Big Picture” moments.  I’ve never taken the time to provide the proper nomenclature for them before, but I think that’s what I’m going to call them from now on.  I’m talking about the times when you get the almost other worldly experience of grasping, maybe just for a second, just how valuable the authentic, close relationships in life are (and by extension how relatively unimportant most of the day to day grind can be.)

There’s no formula for recognizing the Big Picture, which I guess is kind of the point.  And I’ve found that such clarity of vision is often absent in life’s biggest moments, choosing rather to sneak up on you in the midst of supposed normalness.  Like my freshman year, during a jog through campus with three of my newly made best friends. It’s what made me stop abruptly and share, with vulnerability and a hint of corniness, just how amazing it was to be at The University of North Carolina and to have formed such strong relationships. I had prayed that God would provide me with lifelong friendships while at UNC.  Standing on the brick walkway, immersed in the beauty of both the spring sun and the moment, I considered myself the luckiest man in the world that He had blessed me in such short order.  .

And the best part  - it was only beginning.

You see, I was just a 19 year old kid whose only real wisdom was knowing that there was something more yet to be experienced but with no idea of the true magnitude of the moment. In the years that followed, I remembered that moment and tried my best to soak in every aspect of the “real” life, with frustratingly inconsistent effectiveness. I’ve found, however, that the Big Picture manifests itself most vividly via relationships.  That’s why I am so grateful to not only have a loving marriage and family, but also the quite extraordinary bond with my old roommates from college.

These guys know me inside and out - what makes me tick, my hopes and dreams, the good, bad and ugly.  Zack, unfiltered.  And it’s a two way street, as each guy has surrendered the male instinct of isolation in exchange for the deeper meaning which can only be experienced in fellowship with others.

It’s this surrender which allows us to get past the imperfections and personality differences and come out better off on the other side. It’s why we’re able to keep it going even today, spread out clear across the country with only emails and phone calls to keep us connected until the one weekend per year when we all get together in living color.  And it’s what allows us to pick up right where we left off when we do get together, like this weekend in San Francisco.

The details of the weekend are somewhat inconsequential.  When people ask me what we did on the trip I will be able to tell them about the amazing steak dinner at Bobo’s, taking in Fisherman’s Wharf, and playing Saturday stickball in the park (while being cheered on by a few winos!)  But I’ll never be able to explain just how right it felt to battle at the bowling alley or talk about life while chomping on a double/double from In ‘n Out or crack jokes on each other around the poker table.

But before I paint a picture of some unrealistic brotherhood of perfection, let me say unequivocally that we are far from it -  five minutes of observation around the basketball court will confirm that, at times, we are a veritable train wreck  With a number of strong personalities and no shortage of opinions, we are living proof that with all relationships there is going to be tension to allay and problems to solve.  Yet somehow, we always find a way.

So as I write this from 32,000 feet above the Midwest I feel a heightened sense of gratitude for the guys I call my best friends.  It was good to get away from the day to day.  It was good to remember where we’ve been and where we want to go.  Most of all, it was good to be together.  Now, just one question remains:

How long until Overlook Cup 2009?