When I think about college and all the good times I had with friends at their off-campus houses and wild raging parties at some other university, there would always be this moment when you could tell this party is either going all night or is going to end really quickly and end badly. I remember times when people would leave about 20 minutes too late and things would get real salty. Missing one cab or leaving behind one other person would end up with someone taking a long walk in the cold and passing out somewhere unwanted, like a bush or the side of the road.
Partying too long can also kill the mood when everyone is just about to pass out and someone decides to rage on like it’s 8 hours earlier than it really is. Nothing makes a situation more awkward like one dude or chick raging to whatever is playing on the iPod while there is either no one around them or everyone is around them, but they are passed out. It’s never both of those, it’s usually just one of those kinds of situations. There is no timetable for when things could go from high speed fun to downshifting and passing out while everyone is feeling like death.
In the last year, I think there have been at least 5 different examples of someone staying too long at one position in their life where everything went badly for them. You always hear about people who work at a job for 35 years only to be laid off within the week of them telling you that. 35 years. Didn’t think at any point that you overstayed your welcome? Not one point where you thought, ‘hey, I think this is the high point of my career, I should plan my exit strategy so I don’t end up like <insert culturally acceptable leader who overstayed his welcome and ruined his legacy>. I don’t want to end up like that guy. He sucked”. People who are just graduating college and entering the workforce will not only face the irritation of someone overstaying their welcome but it will echo in their future as well. If a college grad doesn’t have a job within a certain amount of time after their graduation, they are doomed to lose thousands in income and expected thousands in retirement money.
Billy Hunter and David Stern overstayed their welcome and almost ruined an entire season of the NBA because they loved listening to their own ideas. Stern’s even ruining this Chris Paul trade event that was agreed upon, but it seems that owners don’t even know their own rules that they set in place. Joe Paterno should have left college football coaching and since this Sandusky issue blew up over the media, Paterno as well as Penn State are doomed for as long as we know. Penn State has their Library named after Paterno. The city that the college plays, in becomes the largest city population wise in the state of Pennsylvania during their football games. Peachy Paterno at the Penn State Creamery, from what I believe is now just called “Peach” and the Sandusky Blitz is gone forever. Terry Francona and Theo Epstein got run out of town because Boston needed a scapegoat and there was no logical reason that a team that great could lose 1/3 of its games in the final month of the season and still make the playoffs. Theo should have left right after he won the 2nd World Series. I’m sure everyone in Boston would’ve understood if he said he was moving onto bigger and better things.
Brett Favre? Couldn’t say goodbye. Didn’t know when to hang ‘em up. John Elway? Knew exactly when to leave. This rule echoes in sports. Legacies can be ruined. Your signed baseball cards can be turned worthless with one bad piece of news. Staying around for that last year to try to win a championship, but end up tanking down the stretch? Staying those extra 3 hours at the strip club seem worthwhile for a professional footballer? Doesn’t anyone know that nothing good ever happens at 3am?(unless you’re getting lucky I suppose)
Leaving the party(in life) is just one of those things that you have to time just perfectly. Leaving at the peak might not be the best course of action, but usually the best time to leave is when at least two or more people can admit that the current situation has peaked and that nothing can really top this. I’ve experienced this in Vegas.
Speaking of which, that story’s for another time. Meaning: I know when to end this blog post.
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