Good day from the Great Pacific North West.
Kobe Bryant/Camino de Santiago/Our second Act

I think it is very fitting to mention recent news in this blog post for Caminoheads. I recently posted about this on my Facebook. I posted;
“This has been such an emotional topic at work this whole week. Truth be told, I was not a big Kobe basketball fan, admired his skills, just more of a Michael Jordan guy. It is not about basketball though. It is what happened in his act #2 that hits the hardest. Many parallels with many of us fathers out here. Guy had a career, retired from it, decided act# 2 was towards focusing on his family, check. Wanted to be personal with people, check. Had a lot to offer to people that would so value the inspiration, check. Then, in an instant, life cut short. Over. So this is what has many guys like me so affected by this. Not basketball. It is very refreshing to see a guy be a good Dad. It is a very good example of how it is supposed to be. That’s the tragedy that has us reeling…The second act was cut off just as it was beginning. This has been a clear reminder to me of how short life is, and how important the small stuff means. Oh man…. Kobe joined the NBA the same year I joined the Navy and retired around the same time I did. I am on that second act.
This hit home to me hard. Very hard. Having said all of that, it is inspiring in its own right”.
There is a rare connection with Kobe Bryant and the Camino. The author of, “The Pilgrimage” written by author Paulo Coelho, about the Camino de Santiago, had made an arraignment with Kobe Bryant to write a children’s book together. I thought that was pretty amazing to find out. Unfortunately, the book never happened. I wish it did. I am sure many of you have read Paulo’s book or books.
What defines our second Act? I wonder. What will our legacy be when we are gone, I also wonder. It seems to me that when these tragedies happen, whether it be with someone we know personally or with someone we know of, it affects us all in different ways. What is for sure for me is how this keeps me wholly grounded even more to my own children and family and friends. It is a staunch reminder that life is too short. We are all on an undisclosed amount of time and it is how we walk through this life, how we affect others that mean so much more than anything else. I see this about Kobe Bryant as it was not as much about his personal accomplishments in his life through basketball that leave me feeling impressed, rather it was what he did for others that made this into an inspiring story. Through this tragedy, I take away an inspiration.
It seems very much to me that the first part of our life is spent defining ourselves, figuring out who we are, navigating through the waters of life. Us lucky ones, the ones that are lucky enough to have a second act, maybe we are not lucky at all. Maybe we are here for the second and third and fourth act for a reason. I think so. I really think we are here to help others. Have you helped someone, a stranger, and never mentioned that you helped them to anyone else? What a great feeling, huh? I never knew that there was a connection between Kobe Bryant, and the Camino de Santiago. I know I didn’t until this week. I know that I am inspired to double down even harder on being a good Dad. A good person in general.
CheersJ
Ryck

(This is a guy that you really want on your team, this guy Ryck. Thanks Ryck for this great contribution to the blog. The Kobe incident is a giant reminder that we are all here on borrowed time. Thanks for your report. Felipé.)