Today I learned that nothing stands still. I was talking to a teacher of mine from high school and as I was talking to him it became obvious that he wasn’t exactly in a great space. Though he didn’t overtly say it I got the feeling that things weren’t going well for him and he was looking for guidance because of that. It was strange honestly to have somebody I look at as a mentor look to me for guidance. I did my best to reassure him that everybody has ups and downs. What bothered me though was that he wasn’t conducting himself as strong as I once knew him to be. I remember him being an energetic, encouraging, disciplinarian. He conducted his class with a lot of passion which made me more interested in the subject matter. Even after high school I would randomly see him and he still maintained that youthful spirit. But somewhere along the way that strengthen and zeal I saw in him seems to have vanished. From talking to him briefly it seemed like he was confused about the future. It made me sad but it taught me that nothing stands still. Great men can fall. I’m not exactly sure how he lost his strength. But I know exactly how I lost my strength. Through no discipline I became the worst version of myself. Through not consistently challenging myself my confidence, determination, and even intellect diminished. I let my impulses dominate my common sense. From that experience I see everything now as either slowly growing or slowly dying. If I don’t use it I loose it. If I don’t use the courage to ask shorty out then that courage dies a little bit. If I choose not to take ten minutes to read a couple pages then I get a little dumber. If I fail to plan and set goals for the day ahead then I get a little bit off course. I shudder at where one can be when bad habits have been practiced for decades. Nothing stands still. I’m either getting stronger or weaker. I’m either getting smarter or dumber. The way I can ensure avoiding being weaker and dumber is just perpetual discipline.