The first weekend of the 2021 NCAA Tournament has come and gone, and the action has been as unpredictable as the term ‘March Madness’ would indicate. This is what sports are all about, folks. The triumph and heartbreak of ‘win or go home’ championship action. But, for some reason, this year’s tourney has me all up in my feels. I’m ecstatic that we actually got the tournament this year – it’s one of the greatest championships in sports, and it usually marks the changing of the seasons. I even took Friday off from the day job because I had the PTO to use. We didn’t get the tournament at all last year, so everyone was THRILLED to get it back.
But, honestly – filling out my bracket this year, having watched precisely 0 college basketball games made me realize just how out of touch I have gotten with the sport. It made me stop and realize that it’s actually been years since I watched college basketball the way I used to. I was never the diehard fan….watching games every night in November or anything like that. But, come January, I’d start tuning in a more and start keeping tabs on teams in preparation for the tournament. By the time the tournament came around, I obsessed over my bracket, changing it numerous times daily in the days building up to the tournament. Then, on game day, it was wall to wall basketball. I’d usually order a pizza and sit on my couch with my bracket just logging the day’s events as they unfolded. I’ve racked my brain, and I believe 2013 is the last time I did the tournament like this. I graduated college in 2008 and got my first full-time job in 2010, but there, I had the freedom to sit and watch basketball while I worked. It wasn’t until 2013 when I got my first office job, and I don’t think I’ve done the tournament proper since. This year, I filled out my bracket once – just glancing at it, and going with my gut reactions for each game – and that was it. I haven’t even watched all of this year’s first round matchups. This is all to say that March Madness is one of those things that various responsibilities have superseded, and I didn’t even realize it until now.
Time flies, doesn’t it? Back in the 2000s, things were a lot simpler. I didn’t own anything. I was still living at home. I was single. I was working part time. I was living the bachelor lifestyle with plenty of time to do whatever I wanted, and that meant I had the opportunity to devote however much time I wanted to into the myriad of interests I had. But, one by one, things started popping up – as tends to happen as one grows older – the full-time job, the girlfriend, the apartment to clean, etc.. Now, I’m 34 years old, with a full-time job, a company to run, and a wedding to plan, among several other responsibilities that leave me deciding between my passions on a regular basis. Do I watch Oregon State vs. Oklahoma State? Do I catch on my stack of comic books? Or, do I write something? Those are the questions I have to ask on a regular basis.
That’s the thing about getting older – as our responsibilities increase, the free time we have wanes. We have to pick and choose between the things and the people that we love. No clue why it was this exact moment….this year’s NCAA Tournament…that triggered all of this. But, it’s all a long-winded way of saying a couple of things….one, appreciate the young and carefree days while you’re in them. If you’re still in them, congrats – take a moment to savor them while you can. One day, you’ll feel like you blinked and 10 years passed. Two, there’s something to be said about the peace of mind simplicity brings with it. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, maybe consider giving some things you may be holding onto that don’t quite give you the sense of joy they used to because you don’t have the time to nurture them. For example, I found myself running pretty ragged during football season a couple of years ago – I was working full time, and trying to cover Alabama football on Saturdays and Tennessee Titans football on Sunday on top of everything else. It was brutal. So, I told myself I had to take some of my life back – I chose to only cover the Titans from that moment forward, and falls have been a lot less stressful ever since.
It’s not always a bad thing to lose interest in something. Time management, prioritization, and mindfulness are three of the greatest practices we can attempt to master.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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