It’s almost the end of 2024, and I can say one thing with certainty in agreement with Miley Cyrus. I don’t dress the same. I mean, that’s partially because I forgot my entire bag on the way to Montreal in September and had to buy a brand new wardrobe. But it’s also because ‘time has done changed me’ just like it has to Miley and her partying ways.
Many themes stick out to me as the year comes to a close, and I’ve referenced them in each of the articles I’ve written within this Christmas Countdown thus far.
But if one theme were to stick out more than most, it would have to revolve around the wonderful emptying out of rooms that Miley describes. More formally as it’s known: change.
INSPIRED BY – USED TO BE YOUNG
Change has been afoot throughout 2024 and it’s been a stark reminder of what Miley so often says in her songs – no one stays the same. Who we were yesterday is not always who we are today.
I might have fallen into some kind of vortex, but this year doesn’t feel like one singular year. At risk of saying something profoundly chiché, 2024 feels like it’s been multiple years around the sun in one. Does anyone else feel that?
I know that we change as people. That much I’ve spoken about in some of my favourite articles this year:
But what I might not have anticipated when writing either of those pieces is just how much things can change within a year itself.
The articles I wrote back in January feel like a far, distant version of myself that existed in a different phase of the moon. The murky waters I had to surf across now feel far away from the shore where I now sit. Even some of the pictures used back in March and April have not only been replaced but completely eliminated from existence.
To be less vague, life has changed on both a personal and professional level this year multiple times. I’ve changed jobs three times (twice within the same organization), changed coaches, changed races, stopped teaching, and perhaps most notably to most reading this right now – haven’t watched a single soccer match all year.
I feel like the same person. But it’s evident that much has changed.
I think subtle hints of personality have been revolutionized over the course of the year. But more so the recognition of where I want to devote my time and energy within that personality. As Miley says, I’ve left my livin’ fast somewhere in the past.
That past will continue to follow me for now, as it’s where I made my name and where I remain known. But what people know me for will (eventually) evolve into something new as that past grows more distant.
“Me and who you say I was yesterday have gone our separate ways.”
– Used To Be Young, Miley Cyrus
From my side, quite literally. If you ask Google, ChatGPT, Twitter, or, dare I say, most of those familiar with my work in any realm, they’d conjure up answers about my involvement within the soccer world.
But paramountly, I haven’t watched a single full-length soccer match all year. When recently speaking to a friend, I recalled only the fact that Declan Rice had been kicked by Joel Veltman, and red-carded for it. That’s the extent to my soccer knowledge this year.
That may be odd for some people to hear (including the Declan Rice thing). I mean, I still get messages every single day from those in the industry, even frequent messages from coaches or players in the professional side of the sport. It seems that my own message has somehow still gotten lost in translation despite posting only a few original football pieces all year long, and articles like this that speak to where I’m at right now:
- Why it’s okay for your vision to evolve from initial intentions
- The untold story of my hiatus from football
I don’t mean for this to be another recap of why I’ve fallen out of love with the sport. What I instead mean for this to be is a conversation around it being okay for you to change your mind and carve out a new path. A path different to the one you originally thought.
As I speak about in the piece on why it’s okay for your vision to evolve from initial intentions, two years ago I would have jumped at the opportunity to work in the professional soccer industry. Now I’ve left professional coaches unread. It’s just no longer a passion of mine, and I feel more at peace currently chasing my other passions.
To be clear: That dream was massive. It existed for most of my life, since the inception of my involvement in the sport at a young age. But as it turns out, no matter how big the dream might be, even crowded rooms empty out as soon as there’s somewhere else to go.
I had a good run in the soccer world, but I’m also having a good run right now in the running world (double le duh), in the recreation sphere, and in writing whatever I please right here.
I might have been crazy to turn down an interview for an MLS team, and in fact, it was presented that way to me by those close to me. But saying ‘yes’ to the interview would have only fulfilled a dream that I had when I used to be young. Not to fulfill a dream that I had at the time, nor right now as the year comes to a close.
For anyone that may need to hear something similar, what you thought you’d be in your younger days does not have to be the path that you ultimately continue if you discover other interests intrigue you more. That time is not wasted, and you can still remember every single one of those important lessons learned.
But if you find out that there’s a different road, it’s completely okay for time to change you. After all, that’s what time does.
Thanks for reading and see you soon.
Rhys Desmond 