I am not one to ever watch sports, but when the city neighboring my hometown made it to the NBA Finals, I had to watch in the unlikely event that Cleveland would win. The anxiety of such a close game was too much for me to handle, so I flipped back and forth to my usual Sunday night TV choice of "Keeping Up With The Kardashians." In the last few minutes of the game, Cleveland’s usual story began to take place. So close, yet not good enough.
And then it happened.
LeBron James hit the floor in tears after winning a championship for his city — a promise he upheld after returning home from the Miami Heat. I, among all of the others born and raised in the Cleveland area, knew exactly what this meant for a city like ours. Not only was it a win decades in the making, but it showed on a national scale the crazy, beautiful passion that Cleveland fosters.
I haven’t lived in Lakewood, my city on the western border of Cleveland, in nearly a decade. I always made it priority to go back a couple times a year, until I went to college. The last time I walked the streets was two years ago. It was the summer before my freshman year of college, and the person I was then I wouldn’t even recognize today. I’m going back this weekend, and I’ve been filled so many different emotions since I made the decision. They hit a peak this week as I watched Cleveland light up in celebration. I’ve spent time distancing myself from the place that gave me so much. The city intoxicating, and for my college years it was a drug that I needed to quit. I couldn’t balance splitting my vacations between Lakewood and the city in Florida where my parents live. Lakewood and it's neighboring city never left my soul though. I don't think it was supposed to.
My mantra is always to get psyched for whatever life throws at you. When Plan A, B and C don’t work, you have to get just as psyched for Plan D. I think this is how Cleveland thrives. We have generally bad sport teams, weather, industry, houses, etc... but that's OK because we’ve got a tenacity for passion that rivals any city I can think of. This isn't about ending a half-century long losing streak. It never was. It's about the renaissance of Cleveland. The residents of the greater Cleveland area have watched it happen over the last decade or so, and now it's time for everyone else to know. So here's to you, Cleveland, and your ultimate comeback.
