Austin is imbalanced and balanced. 

It’s the weight of one team over another.

One person versus another.

Yet —anyone can win on any given day.

The Miracle on Ice. 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. US vs. Soviets. The game to get into the gold medal game. The Soviets were the heavy favorites. But the US wins.

It's a running track. The gritty, black, tirelike pieces that come up when you rub it. Your hands turn black by the end of the meet as the black gets everywhere. The sound of a gun starting the race. The feeling of being drained and out of breath, but you have to keep pushing yourself. The crowd cheers as you pass one person after another, after another. Or get passed.

It’s a baseball field. The brown sand-like clay that flies up when you get there. The green grass that stains your pants and jersey. Running hard to chase down the ball. Reaching out. Diving. Trying to get that ball. Which secures the last out. Secures the win. Or gives the other team a chance to get back into the game. 

It’s the soccer pitch. It’s running hard towards the ball. A bloody knee after sliding into the ball. Pain in every step. Blisters forming.To get there milliseconds before the defender. To make a split second second decision.

Pass or shoot. Left or right. Top or bottom. Placement or power. Goal or miss. Win or lose. Hero or nobody. Hair blowing behind you in the wind as you get closer and closer. Closer to the win, or to the loss. The perfect imbalance of competition that we all seek in our favor. 

The name Austin is Texas. The capital. Named after the founder of Texas. Stephen F. Austin. A pioneer. Founded land that was part of Mexico as a territory of the US. This then caused a war. Mexico wanted their land. Texas wanted to be a part of the US. Imbalance.

Austin is a legacy. Derived from the first Roman Emperor Augustus. Who had to work hard. He was able to expand the empire to encase the whole Mediterranean Sea. All of modern day France, Spain, and Portugal. All of Southern Europe, the Middle East, and Northern Africa. Too much for one person to control. Being stretched too thin. Imbalance.

Austin. 

Having to figure out what is important in life.

Where our priorities lie.

It’s balance.

It’s working two jobs. Balancing enjoyment and experience versus money and boredom. It’s waking up early and going to sleep late. Pulling 12 hour shifts. Working 8 hours at one job, only to drive and work 4 more hours at the other. It’s dealing with the cranky, immature, and tired customers who have screaming kids that they’re sick of. How much money is worth cranky people? Balance.

It’s coaching a basketball team. Balancing enjoyment and experience versus skill and wanting to win. It’s figuring out how far is too far. How hard can they be pushed? After a long day of school. Without it tipping the scale. The ones that screw around. Don’t give any effort. But are the best players on the team. And the ones that give their all. But they suck. You have to give them more playing time than the good players. But then what about winning. Balance.

It’s finding friends that will be there for you no matter what. Finding friends that make you happy. Then. You don’t enjoy them at the moment. And you grow apart and miss them. Then you find those people that make you happy again. 

You need to hold onto them. Be happy for who you have. Be grateful. Be thankful. Think. How many girls are worth a best friend? A lot. Keep the bestfriend. Ditch the girls. A best friend is something that can’t be taken away. That’s something that can’t be balanced out.

Life is about seeing those individual things that give you your balances and imbalances.

Austin is balancing the imbalance.

It’s about making sure you have the right amount of both.

Cause if there’s one thing that Austin represents, it’s balance.