Summer thoughts...

I think I wrote, what, ONE post since I got this blog account thingy? Oh well... Perhaps I should have written more, especially due to the fact I have received millions of fan letters saying they want more blog posts from Patrick Rooney. (That last part was completely false... billions...).

Anyways, I was thinking maybe I could share some more thoughts with ya'll...

This summer, for me, has been one of serious soul searching. I left Chicago thinking I knew so much, I pulled up my driveway in Michigan knowing nothing. I came home expecting everything I left over from high school to just be there once again. The friends, parties, and roadtrips were things that I expected to come home to. I was going to have a perfect summer to make up for a not so perfect year in college. The reality of the situation was one that hit me kind of hard: everyone has moved on. We've all drifted into our own circles of friends. All of my college friends were back at their own homes across the country and my friends from high school were at least an hour's drive from my house. I felt totally stranded in the small town of Rochester, MI. This left a lot of time for me to think. Throughout my nine months in Chicago I discovered a lot about myself. It was an emotional year for me, filled with heartbreak, despair and difficult choices. Welcome to adulthood Patrick...

Coming back to Michigan and finally getting some alone time, I realized that I forgot just how to enjoy the simplest things in life. The cool breeze that catches you off guard on a hot day in late June, my dog's wet nose poking my face waking me up in the morning, sitting with your Dad in the bleachers at a baseball game. These were things I had missed so much in college and I didn't even realize how important those things were to me. I was so caught up in the latest "drama" or how I was going to stay out of trouble that weekend, that I totally forgot how to enjoy life.

One of the other subjects I have been thinking of is that of Relationships. And what I have come to realize is that: I don't know a lot about relationships! All that I do know is that I don't need eight thousand best friends to make me happy, I don't need to have a steady dating life to make me feel more like a man. All I need, is one kickass best friend (Michael Wagner), and an amazing family (See previous blog post).

So, right now, I'm sitting here with a painful swelled up face from a wisdom teeth extraction trying to put into words just how I feel about life. And I guess all I really know for sure, is to love those closest to you with all that you can, love those furthest from you with all that you can, be true to yourself, laugh a lot, cry a lot, give a lot of hugs, and even more kisses. Give epic high fives when the Blackhawks win their next Stanley Cup, and don't let the Chicago Bears break your heart for the five thousandth time. I'm not going to waste my time trying to be a "stoic man" who never shows emotion. (And to all women who think that's what you want: you don't.) I mean, look at Jack Bauer... biggest badass in the world, crys all the time... The key in everything, all that I am trying to say, is to be strong. Never be afraid of who you are. Life is SO AWESOME!