Okay, so I was flipping channels the other day, trying to find something, anything, to watch, and I landed on some football talk show. And there’s this guy, breaking down plays, looking real sharp. Took me a second, then it clicked.
Recognizing the Face
It was David Carr. You know, Derek Carr’s brother. Yeah, that David Carr. The guy who was the number one draft pick way back when. Went to the Texans. Man, it feels like ages ago.
Seeing him there, looking all comfortable in a suit behind a desk, got me thinking. It’s funny how things turn out. David had all the hype coming out of college, number one pick and everything. Derek came later, maybe not as much initial splash, but he carved out a long career for himself too. Different paths, same family.
Thinking About Paths
It made me reflect, not really about football or brothers specifically, but about transitions. David went from being the guy on the field, getting hit, making the throws, to the guy talking about the guys on the field. Seems like a smooth shift from the outside looking in.
That struck a chord with me because, well, I kinda went through my own weird transition recently. Not from NFL player to analyst, obviously. Nothing that glamorous, believe me.
My Own Little Shift
For years, I was all about my old routine. Woke up, did the same kind of work, day in, day out. It wasn’t bad, paid the bills. Put a lot of hours into it, got pretty decent, I thought. It was my ‘thing’. Like, if you asked me what I did, that was the answer.
But then, I don’t know, maybe a year or so ago, I just started feeling… restless? Like the whole thing wasn’t clicking anymore. I’d drag myself to do it. Started noticing other things more. Spent a weekend trying to fix up an old wooden chair I found on the curb. Totally random.
- Got sandpaper.
- Stripped the old varnish.
- Spent hours just sanding it smooth.
- Found some stain in the garage.
And you know what? I actually enjoyed it. Like, really enjoyed it. More than I’d enjoyed my actual work in months. It was quiet, just me and the wood. Making something tangible.
So, long story short, I started doing more of that. Less of the old grind, more tinkering, fixing, building small stuff. It wasn’t a big announcement or anything. Just sort of… happened. Felt weird at first. Felt like I was maybe stepping back, or people wouldn’t get it. Going from my ‘respectable’ routine to basically messing around with tools in the garage.
Finding a New Groove
Seeing David Carr there, doing his analysis thing, looking like he belonged – it was a little reminder. People change tracks. Careers evolve. You find a new way to use your skills or just find something totally different that fits you better now. He seemed like he found his next thing after playing. Maybe I’m slowly finding mine too. It’s not about being the number one pick or having the longest career sometimes. It’s just about finding that thing that feels right, even if it’s different from where you started.
