the hats

the wait for team lakay fighters' turn in the octagon in last night's fearless intensity 8 gave me plenty of time to think about about the hats i wear. one of the triggers was lester's pitch on wushu's proposal. it finally dawned on me that he has quite been consistent in selling that out to me in the past few MMA events that i've seen him.

i like what they're selling me. but the thing is, i don't think that they truly know me to see that i can't do it because i love all my other hats. a huge part of my hesitation to even consider it is this love for all the hats i have collected and treasured all these years. there are hats that i haven't worn for years now. there are those i wear occasionally. there are some i wear more often than the rest.

i didn't pay much attention to these hats. i just wear what i'm most passionate about at the moment. i didn't think much about them until last night. it was then i realized i love all of them.

i may not wear all of them as often as i'd want to but that doesn't diminish their value in my life. see, those years that i collected them were also the years i stumbled into invaluable treasures. these are treasures i found because of my hats.

i am who i am now through the gifts of learning, discovery, adversity, and triumph i've had while i was wearing all those hats. i don't come in parts. i don't come with only one hat. i can't be who i am wearing just one hat.