What It Is

I have seen trouble before, but never anything quite like this. We sat in the lobby outside an office. The great, grey bearded guru, and fearless leader sat amongst us, knees apart, fingers intertwined, head down, looking through the ground.

I asked him, what this was, how did this happen? He looked at me with a sullen, and heavy look, and said "It is what it is."
What. The. Fuck.
It is what it is? That meant nothing, a hollow answer, I looked at him again, perhaps even mouth agape.

Something was different. This charismatic man, always a step ahead, was now at a loss. The endless vitality, the easy smile were gone, replaced with shock, sunken eyes, and a slack face, and a tragic look of resignation. His face had aged, he wasn't young, but he had quickly grown even older on this early Monday morning. A seemingly unstoppable force, now sat, after only a few hours, a broken man.

On rare occasion in your time, you meet someone who seems bigger than life, and blazes an amazing trail. Even more rarely, you click. If you do, stick with that person, go for the ride. Doors will open, it will take you places you have never been, teach you things you would never have learned, and change you as a person. Change and growth, after all, is the whole point.

He was soon called into the office. I knew by his posture as he walked away, the ride was over, and a chapter had ended.

It took me a minute, but eventually I understood what he meant, It is what it is. The end will always come, nothing can last forever, it's only what you get from it that matters. Enjoy the ride, take risks, and take your chances. Choose your timing, but don't wait too long, because the ride goes fast, and the end comes even faster.