here comes a new challenger!

The cool hang out spot in my neighborhood when I was a preteen growing into adolescence was a local video store, "Video World". It was a mom and pop store long before there was a Blockbuster. My parents used to own a video store as well but it was never as cool as Video World. Video World was the place we rented our VHS movies, video games, bought our baseball or basketball cards, and bought our ever so tasty sour power candy. But besides those things, there was really only one reason why anyone would go to Video World: arcades.

My favorite arcade games growing up were those fighter video games like Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat or Killer Instinct. I don't really know why I or every other adolescent kid for that matter liked those games. Maybe it was because it was violent and allowed us to channel the inner sadist inside us all, especially when you're able to tear off a person's skull or pull out a person's heart while it's still beating. Instead of saying "gross!", my friends and I would watch intently and almost in awe at the grotesque act and almost unanimously saying under our breath "cool".

When I used to play, one of the greatest satisfactions was not beating the computer, but going one on one with the local kid down the street who had a reputation for being unbeatable. There was a thrill of winning when you played him that could only be comparable to playing texas hold-em with a world series of poker champion. Even though it was slim, there was a chance I could win.

So as I would put my quarter on the "on deck" spot or the arcade console (the place where the screen met the controller area), I would jog my memory of all of the special moves so that I would be prepared for whatever he did and also would watch his previous fights to scout out his tendencies. It was all very methodical.

Once in a blue moon I would actually beat the guy, almost always profusely sweating and gleaming with ecstasy. I would smile, but not too big, because most of the time, the guy was associated with some sort of gang around the neighborhood. I didn't want none of his homies to give me a beat down later. But before I could continue in my celebration and take on the computer, there was a banner that flashed across the screen, "Here Comes A New Challenger!" I looked to my left (because my favorite spot to play on was the right side of the arcade) and saw my new challenger,
oh crap
_________
I don't exactly know the point of all this banter is, but for some strange reason, the feeling I felt when I saw my next opponent is the same feeling that I feel at this point in my life.

When I came home from Taiwan everything was a bit surreal. The first few days I felt a little out of place and everything seemed new, but not really. I realized that things really haven't changed since I left almost a year ago, which kind of made me mad because I've changed so much.

The past few weeks I've been catching up with friends, food, and family as well as frantically searching for a new job. Just this past week I had 4 interviews, 5 in 10 days. I also started school last week. I was a little anxious at first, but when I sat in on my first class, I realized that this is exactly where I was supposed to be.

Going to Taiwan was one of the best experiences in my life, it was hard, challenging, but still thrilling and adventurous. I saw people and God in a whole new light. I saw myself for who I am.

As I look ahead, I have a whole new set of challenges before me: School and learning, work (I finally found a job that fit), serving, readjusting and refocusing my life to be more others-focused and more intentional in the land of "it's all about me." So in a sense someone's just dropped a quarter and as I look left, I see: Here Comes A New Challenger!



(I don't really take myself as seriously as it seems, just thought it would be fun)