6:15 am I woke up with a blast of energy, full of thoughts. Positive energy flowing around; so much optimism through this darkness of quarantine. Been 6 days in and I don’t even feel the need to be out in the streets, the so-called social beast that certain people think I am is being demystified. I am who I am though and who Hernst Laroche really is; most people don’t know. I always laugh inwardly when people try to put me in a box. Through their lenses, with their personality test or horoscopes. Constantly changing, always wanting to be the best version of myself, always wanting to reinvent, add qualities and diminish my defaults. The Hernst of yesterday is not the Hernst of today. Through experiences and through reading countless books you can always change. The saying that an old dog can’t learn new tricks is a farse. Everybody has this inner strength in them they just have to activate it. The human mind is funny and the subconscious is even trickier. All starts from there, then that idea or willingness can become reality through constant reminding which will prompt tangible and real actions. And that’s a process I’m applying every day.

On the dawn of thinking retirement and moving on to my second path in life. The love of the game seems to not want to let me go always pulling me back. Growing up I didn’t have too many examples of true love, except for my parents still being together after 30 years of marriage through trials and tribulations. Love was a laughable matter through rap or the streets teaching us the wrong things about love. While our woman learns to love through RnB and love movies on TV. That dichotomy would for sure bring misunderstanding, confusion and frustration to a relationship when 2 people are groomed from different ideals. That story doesn’t apply to all but to inner cities kids most can relate. As young boys We certainly Couldn’t express ourselves about it; it was a struggle ingrained in our minds from the jump. Being called a lover boy was the worst thing to be called at the time; isn’t that a shame. But at the time I didn’t know I was in complete love with basketball. That ball was on my mind from morning to night. It was always priority number one. Nothing would come between me and her. I Would put aside everything for her, spent birthdays with her; countless lonely mornings and nights with her but never felt lonely because I was in love. I left my home at 19 the only place that I loved and knew at the time, all my friends, family, lover to go somewhere I had no clue existed for her. I Cried for her. When Kobe Bryant died, I shed some tears, it zapped so much out of me that I couldn’t go about my afternoon. Out of all this, I could see that this love was shared by many across the world. It was beautiful to see all of them grown men crying, it was another reminder or teaching moment that it was ok to show emotions and cry.To Love someone for me was learned through basketball. To love with a passion to love with everything that you got that’s what prepared me to be the best husband father uncle possible. The journey of a basketball player is just like being in a relationship you go from love moment to hardship to frustration to misunderstanding but you keep going no matter what because you know the love is too strong to quit.

As I digress but come back full circle. Because conversations never follow a straight line it could go different ways through different topics and go to places even more interesting than what your initially talking subject was. With that digression, you can always learn and teach others which is so amazing. Back to the topic, I’m embarking on a new path when the world is at a stop. With the coronavirus taking the world hostage; the ripples’ effect will be felt all over industries for many years to come. And the entertainment (basketball) industry is not absolved from it. Overseas market Will be deprived of loads of incomes from the cancelled season, not to add that those countries might be or already is in a recession where their currencies already started to get devalued. That will hamper many teams and leagues for sure. As I contemplate the next 30 years of my life, I’ll embark on that path with joy and especially no regret. I’ll be ferocious, hardworking, discipline, focus and passionate thanks to the countless life lessons I learn on the basketball court not to mention the countless coaches, friends, mentors, fans and lovely people I encountered that taught me so much. The positivity and optimism that I got I thank them for that. On that note live life through passion. ’til next time