Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 10 No. 3 | January 2018

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Some of the opportunities I took for little or
no money turned out to be the ones that made
the difference on my application at Virginia
Tech. I don’t want to make it sound like this
opportunity came overnight, and it absolutely
didn’t, but recalibrating my attitude definitely
put me in position to capitalize on some on my
hibernating abilities.
I never want this want space to feel
“preachy,” and in no way is this column meant
to imply that I have balanced my life like a
checkbook and everything stands square—not
even close. You see, coming to Blacksburg
wasn’t the finish line. I hadn’t made it.
It represented the starting line, and an
opportunity to make the struggle worth it. My
initial pursuit dug me a hole, whereas others
my age found themselves in much better
position. This role provided me a shovel.
I have made strides, and my progress now
allows me to appreciate the past. I learned to
do whatever it takes, no matter how long it
takes, in that decade. That serves me well here
because, believe me, the challenges continue,
but I stop, partially, and make the necessary
time for Renée and my family and friends. I
appreciate their patience through the years
and still now because I still struggle.
This leads me to the reason for this topic
because, as I discover at the end of most of
these columns, I write this as a reminder to
myself. We just finished the busiest portion
of our year, the football/basketball crossover.
The physical challenge rarely wears on me.
The emotional one tends to get me.
In this time, there are choices to be made
in terms of time management. I find it hard
to be all-in in two places at once—maybe
impossible. You can’t be at football and
basketball practice at the same time, and I find
Christmas shopping from Hahn Hurst or the
Beamer Barn to be futile. Wedding planning
also takes a hit in terms of priority this time
of the year. It grates on me to miss things. It
always has. This time of year, I miss a lot.
So the lesson for myself—and maybe you,
too—is that balance remains a pursuit. We
never hold total possession of it. We only need
to be diligent in our daily pursuit. I plan to get
better at that this year, as I like to think I did
last year.
See, you thought this was going to be a
column about balancing the run game with
the pass, and you got Christmas shopping
and wedding planning! Thanks, as always, for
bearing with me. Happy New Year, Hokies!
Cheers to the year ahead!
Life is a constant
balancing act, and
as the new year gets
rolling along, the
Voice of the Hokies,
Jon Laaser, urges
fans to be diligent in
their daily pursuit
of balance.