To: Tyler of a later date



Can you imagine it? Artificial Intelligences die every several years because they think themselves, they work themselves to death. What about a person? Think back to the when I’m writing this. Do your homework, work at the Y, Constantly think about Leos, then add NHS, your sailing friends depend on you and you’re not there; by the way there is a meeting tomorrow morning, then another one that night, you haven’t been going to church enough, Dad wants you to do this, and get the dishes out of the way. Go pick a college, study for the ACT, remember to save money, you don’t have enough hours, you forgot about that one crucial factor … I wonder how far you can pull a person, until they finally snap.

You remember Leos I’m sure, it was basically a synonym for your life. Those early days were the greatest, and later you became head of the group. It was your responsibility, to make an efficient group and lead them. The good times were usually the meetings. Teenagers all around you, some you relate to directly, others you hardly know. Each one sits near their friends, and their friends have other friends on their sides and somehow it all makes a big circle. Then those few that sit in the corner complaining that their parents want them there or simply to keep from boredom. Over an hour passes as we sit together, discuss what we can do together, and try to keep things going right and keeping the respect of every face in front of you, behind you, and all around you.

Then you are out there on the water, gliding across that green color that gives off the worst of odors. You can’t decide what the worst part is, that you can’t stand the smell, that your Dad tries to force you to do things like that, or that your motion sickness is keeping you from digesting your dinner. You have friends near you but you can only hide the facts so long. Would they understand if they knew that you were planning an event and can’t be there to hang out next weekend? But that isn’t always the case.

It’s never enough. You worked hard every day from honors classes to clubs and you know it’s not enough. Others tell you that you’ve over extended, that you do way too much but you know on the inside how lazy you are. Sitting at home on the laptop with a dying battery you cannot decide what you should do. Do you sit here and type out a letter for Honors English? Or do you pull up the agenda from last week’s meeting and start preparing for next week? Your dog can’t shut up, just begging for your hang to pet him, but you’ve pet him for 2 minutes now and can’t stand to do it more.

Our sanctuary isn’t at home in our room on the computer or playing video games. You went to the YMCA to sit down and relax or sort things out, or even start more work. When you got to the Y, you looked up at the whistling flag as you approached a glass door that you held open. While holding it, you smile, almost to laugh at the parent saying thank you because their kid is 10 feet ahead of them with no ears apparently. We enter past the angled walls and move to the Teen Center. We clearly see the broken foosball table but no one cares. I sit down at a table, and my mind begins to wander.

I can sit there for only so little before my boss, my mentor, and my hero walks into the room or out of his office. Usually with hair that is spread all over and ruffled he puts a smile on anyone’s face. The strong jaw on that happy smile reminds me what’s worth it, why it’s worth it after all the hard work. When you understand what you’ve always worked for, you can never say you did too much, and there’s only that one person in the world that could remind you of something like that.

Is it worth it? When all is said and done, did everything pay off? You worked all the time, but did that mean you did enough? Today I know where I want to go for college, but that doesn’t mean that’s what you did. I know what I think will happen, but in the end I can’t imagine where you are at today. Are you even back home or did you move out to California? I know I’ll find out someday, but there’s nothing more to do but keep going and make the best of it.



-Tyler