Thanks to the Changes in My Life

This year has been great for me. I have learned and gained so many things. This Thanksgiving I want to give thanks to everything that I have found.

I have to thank Parkour first off. It has taught me and changed me. I am much more open, I am willing to carry on conversations that I would normally shy off from. Parkour helped me find my love of philosophy, which beforehand I knew something was missing from my life. I love to sit and think about how things work and why; I never knew what it was called. Thus I will be taking philosophy this year in college. Due to lack of confidence I often backed down from any challenges, afraid of failing in front of people. After doing Parkour in front of people I started to just not care. Even in high school I noticed I could get up and do a presentation without feeling any "stage fright".

On top of Parkour I also found my childhood hero: Bruce Lee. I remember watching his movies with awe and amazement. But as I grew up I forgot his name, but while taking a look at martial arts I came across him again. That was very nostalgic moment, filled me with happiness that I cannot describe. He is my hero, my only hero. Finding him also made me come to find Jeet Kune Do, his martial art. Now I am VERY into nutrition and health. I went from downing four to six Cokes a day to only drinking water. I noticed I can move easier, before it felt like my muscles where stiff and it took effort to move. Now I can touch my toes for the first time since elementary school!

I always thought animating would be some kind of hard task that required an entire team of 30 to do. But I got Toon Boom Animate and I am fairly happy with it. I used to watch shows and "re-write" them in my head with different outcomes, characters, etc. So Toon Boom gives me a chance to express those ideas I had and make them into something I can watch. Being able to put my ideas into an animation brings a feeling I can't describe. It's like you just gave life to something that you just pulled out of your head.

This year has been the best by far. I have changed from a skinny, unhealthy computer nerd to a (somewhat) muscular, healthy martial artist. I owe all my thanks to Parkour, Bruce Lee, and Toon Boom.