I was at Barnes and Nobles (Huntington Beach) after work reading Dime Magazine and came across a story about Jamal Crawford, a young, rising NBA star who plays for the Chicago Bulls.
I learned Crawford has had his share of trials and hardships, not the least of which was having his playing eligibility at Michigan stripped from him because of some violation of a cryptic NCAA rule. He was also deemed the future point guard of Chicago, but the following summer watched with shock as his team used the number two pick to draft Jay Williams, a touted phenom (also a point guard) from Duke. He walked out that day on coaches and teammates who were watching along with him at a Bulls facility and didn't return until training camp.
Crawford is currently the top scorer on his team, averaging 16.8 points per contest. But it is unclear, because of future off-season management decisions, whether he will remain in the windy city after this year.
Asked to explain the hardships he has experienced in his life, Crawford, twenty-four, said: "I know God has a plan for me. He has a plan for everybody. I just know I'll come out on top. I've been through a lot of adversity. But he knew what was going to happen, and why it happened."
For some reason these words stayed with me as I left the bookstore and headed home. Until recently, I was at a low point in my life, in terms of the direction of my career (wasn't sure what I wanted to do). I will be returning to school in June, after a two year hiatus, to earn a master's degree. And I know, at least for now, I want to pursue a career in written communication.
Like Crawford, I also have the feeling one day I will come out on top. I can't really explain it, except that I feel I 've worked too hard on my craft to end up not finding a place for it somewhere in the professional world.
