I have spent the past few days in Pittsburgh for one of my best friends weddings.
I grew up playing hockey with this friend of mine and we used to come up to Pittsburgh to visit his family every summer growing up.
I always considered his family to be my second family. They have always treated me with respect and have always made me feel like I was a part of their family.
I haven't seen a majority of his family in over six years and to no surprise, six years has seemed like a lifetime.
I realize just how old I am getting when I see all of my friends getting married, getting ready or already having kids, and moving on with their lives.
I remember people how I remember them before I left home five years ago. I come back and everyone is all grown up, set in their careers, and building their families.
It's weird for me to see the people I grew up with and spent so much time around growing up, now living their own lives.
Being around my friends and family again has been nothing more than a breath of fresh air to say the least. These are the people that I genuinely care about, and people who genuinely care about me.
I see people that I haven't seen in years and it's like nothing has ever changed, even though everything has changed at the same time.
This is now the second wedding in the last month that I have been to, and I couldn't be happier to be able to be there for one of my best friends during one of the happiest days of their entire lives.
It brings me joy to see the people that I care the most about, take the next step in their lives and make one of the biggest commitments of their lives.
We were all once kids, doing stupid shit, laughing at stupid shit, and not giving a fuck about anything.
Now, we are grown men with more responsibility than ever and taking on even more responsibility as time goes on - we are officially old!
While it may sound strange, I have always felt older than I really am.
I have always felt like I was an old soul living in a new world - this new world has always made me feel like I didn't belong.
It is to no-one's surprise at this point that I prefer more simple things in life. I have had enough experiences in life that always end up bringing me back to the things that I value the most.
I take pleasure in just being able to spend quality time with the people I care about.
I take pleasure in being able to spend time with my animals and train horses.
I take pleasure in just being able to go to the gym, or read a book everyday to workout my body and my mind.
I was fortunate enough to experience the "high life" most people today like to chase - the yachts, the clothes, the expensive jewelry, etc.
One thing I can say that I am truly proud of myself for is staying true to myself. I have never been one to fault to degeneracy and fake who I am to make myself feel better for instant gratification. Sure, I have done things in my life that I am not entirely proud of, but that is all a part of living.
It should absolutely be every man's goal to make a good living so that they can provide the best life possible for their wives and families. But I have also learned through experience that materialism and short-term gratification will always fade if those are the things you truly value in life.
I have learned that if you can't find peace with simple things, you will never truly be able to appreciate nicer things.
I appreciate quality time with my friends and family, more than I do going out to a bar for a night out so that I can wake up feeling like a piece of shit the next day.
I appreciate being out in nature with my horse because to me, that feels like home.
As social media culture continues to push false realities onto the world, I am reminded more about the things that actually matter.
I now realize that being an old soul isn't a curse and is in fact, one of my superpowers. I am able to appreciate simple things so that I can truly appreciate nicer things.
As I continue to see all of my closest friends get married and build their lives and families with the one's they love, brings me genuine joy. It makes me happy to see the people I care about happy, and it makes me happy to know that I will one day experience that same feeling and happiness they felt on their wedding days.
While I may be getting old, I have always felt like an old man. With that being said, feeling old has allowed me to think about things deeply and with great clarity.
I don't need or want a yacht - they never impressed me to begin with. But I can tell you that I will have a big ranch and will build it exactly how I want it. I will have have 10s of acres of pasture for my horses and cows to graze. I will spend my time training horses, building this brand, and doing whatever I have to do to make sure that my family can have the best possible human experience.