The night’s sky is so clear her in the valley and i can see all the stars in the universe from here . It isn’t even a tiny cloud in the sky , to block my view . I suspected it earlier in the afternoon , that’s why i told my father that i’ll stay out .

I knew that the view i’d see it would be astonishing and now i’m 17 years old and my father doesn’t have any hesitations . I’m a man now(!) and i can take more responsibilities .

Our sheep are very calm and relaxed , eating their last meal from fresh grass as if they want to watch the night’s stars and admire them too . I was coming here for a couple of years now , but my father had second thoughts and didn’t let me to stay the nights .

He was afraid for me , but now he trusts me and lets me look after our family’s sheep’s pack . I like being a shepard and even if , all say that i’m good at school and i can do many things in my future , i don’t care .

I like very much being in the nature surrounded by our sheep and dogs and the rest of the animals which are in here . It’s so quiet here . You can hear all the nature’s noises , even from many miles away . I can hear the night’s birds which are preparing for their night’s hunting .

I can hear the river so clearly and the frogs. I can smell the night’s moisture and my brain cannot find the exact words to describe the emotions i feel right now . My soul is so peaceful . I breath deep and i can sense the fresh night’s air entering my lungs and body , and a spontaneous very wide smile reveales my inner happiness .

I’m alone but i don’t feel loneliness . I have just eaten a small piece of bread with some cheese and a tomatoe , and they tasted so good . Yes these “humble” meal , tasted to me like the ambrosia , the ancient Greek gods eaten in the mount Olympus .

Oh , how i like these nights . How i like to be a shepard . These moments are ALL mine and they will be written in my “hard-disc” for ever . I realize that maybe in the future , i won’t be able to have more like these moments , that’s why i try to “suck” as much as i can , now .

I know that maybe i’ll manage to enter to a university , a college or something like that and go to the “big city” , abandoning all these “magic” . But this isn’t the right time for thoughts and problems . I stretch back on my blanket , i lie down and i watch the stars .

My dogs are near me with their bellies full and their eyes attention to the sheep , watching for a possible danger . But this “divine” night , no danger is near . Only “magic” .These thoughts and emotions filled my existance and i didn’t realise how fast i got asleep .

You know the bells from the sheep and the nature’s noises are the best lullaby . Maybe a company in the future , discovers that and give the pharmaceutical companies , a “headache” . The night passed very quickly and very peaceful and the first light of the day , woke me up .

The sun isn’t up yet , but the day is taking the place of the night . The sheep are starting to take their places , in the valley for their “breakfast” and i stretch my body , in order to get some flexibility . The night’s moisture makes your bones , “noisy” and a morning strech is what you need the most .

The dogs are in their position and i go to our small log cabin , to get some milk and something to eat . Why i didn’t sleep inside the log cabin and slept outside ?

Because i don’t fit in it !!! I haven’t told , but even if i’m 17 years old my height is kind of diffefent than the other persons .

I’m 2.05(!) and i see the world from a little(!) higher . You can understand that being in that height , you cannot “hide” yourself and do “things” for you , without everybody sees you . You are like a buoy , or a lighthouse . But i didn’t care being so tall and be kind of different .

GOD made me in this way and HE should know better . As i told you before , i was good in my school lessons and everybody say that my future will be “near” the sciences and universities . But i haven’t told you , that i LIKE very much the sports and especially the basketball .

I always liked this sport , since the times i’ve seen some matches in our small village TV . I’ve seen basketball matches in the top level , from a country far away from my country . I’ve seen the basketball “gods” playing and doing things which in my child mind , seemed “alien” ones .

These guys can jump and do things , i’ve never seen before and you know my inside “thirst” to follow this sport , was becoming bigger and bigger . Imagine playing in this level , in this astonishing country which gives opportunities to everyone to follow his dreams .

Imagine making my family and small village proud of me , imaging making my country proud , imagine , imagine . And time passed and i was about to give my university exams . I continued of course to play my beloving sport in the local team and enjoy it , as much as i could . I played and i dreamed .

Who knows ? Maybe one day i’ll manage to play to a bigger team , in the big city i’m about to go for my university education . The situation went as my relatives and my village teachers said , and i managed to enter to the college i wanted , so my “big city life” is about to begin .

I haven’t left fom my village before and the emotions are mixed . Curiocity , anxiety , a little fear for the unknown and things like that is spinning in my heart and soul .

Will i succeed ? Will i make it ?

Will i continue to play basketball ? Will my life go well ? Who knows .

But for sure i WILL TRY . The first weeks were kind of difficult till i get used to all this new environment and new people , but i think that i’m Ok .

I get up in the morning , i go to the University till noon or sometimes earlier , i return home and if my stydies “allow” it , basketball at the afternoon . I was doing well with my lessons , but i was doing BETTER with basketball . My coach is very impressed by me and not only for my extraordinary height .

It seemed that i have talent and many people notice this . I see it in their eyes . They like me and they are impressed with the things i do in the court . I hear several talks for me , the most very good ones .

I see managers and people who their job is to promote basketball players , talking for me and coming to the courts i play , more often .

For sure many like me and my basketaball skills . Time was passing and ONE DAY it happened . A famous manager who makes deals in all the entire world showed interest on me and if i wanted he can make a deal with a medium size basketball team in THIS big basketball country .

As you can imagine , the shock for me was huge . And not only for me . My parents were shocked too and everybody around me , couldn’t believe their ears . This decision is a life’s changing one and it’s a very importand one .

If i go and fail , i maybe ruin my whole life , because it would be very difficult to return and continue my university education and career . But i’m blessed because my parents support me and they give me the time and space to deside with clear mind and the minimum pressure from them .

And after a while , my decision is ready . I’LL GO and TRY myself . The papers are ready , the money for my first couple of months are in my bank acount from the famous manager and after my last visit to my village , here i’m in a plane for my flight to this big country and the “everest” of the basketball .

You can imagine for a guy like me , who never went outside his tiny village , being in a plane and experience all this . It is a shock for sure . But it’s ok , now i’m here and i’ll “dance” , till the end . Everything went well and the first couple of weeks in this country were spend for my “adjustment” to this new life for me .

I began to learn this new language in a better grade because i know the basics and more , but i need to learn it , better .

My new coach and the other team of his , are very impressed of me and the mood i show to my daily training . I begin to get to know my other team players and learn as much as i can , from them .

They are very experienced than me , even if we are in the same age of 20 – 21 years old . You know learning basketball sport from the best teachers and while you are very young , it’s different than learn the sport in a tine village , in a small country .

I have “tons” to learn in front of me , but i have all the DESIRE and PASSION to do what it needs . I LOVE basketball so much and in here i’ll have all i need to evolute and become a very better “version” of me . And i do so .

I train very hard every day and i listen to whatever my coach tells me . He knows so much and he believes in me . I feel so welcomed here and this acceptance , helps me the most to focus to my “job” , which is BEING THE BEST and help my team to gain victories .

“Things” are going well my team wins many other teams and the media have started to notice me for good . They are very impressed with my physical “gifts” and they started to ask more about me .

They cannot imagine that i lived in a tiny village and i come from a poor family and when they learned that i was also a shepard for sometime , they “fell from the clouds“ . I think in genereal that the press and the people in this new big country , like me a lot .

I see magazines and Tv shows having me in their content and i should say that i’m kind of proud . Yes i start to make serious money . Money that i’ve never dreamed in my entire life . Don’t you forget , a couple of years before i was only a tiny poor shepard in a tiny village and i only made dreams .

BIG DREAMS , which fate and GOD made them reality . I cannot hide that i’m very happy for this early success of mine and my family . We don’t have financial problems anymore and i also send money back to my country .

I’ve never forgotten from where i started and with every oportunity i have i go back and try to help my country and village as i can . I feel the LOVE from the people so strong and all this gives more motivation , to do more . BUT …

Even if i try my best to help other people and be kind ot all , i see something even in my closest environment that hurts me very much . There are many , who aren’t so kind with me and my achievements and in many cases they “judge” me so hard and unfair .

They aren’t 100% honest to me and even if i see them smile to me , behind my back they aren’t so honest(!) . They say ironic things for me and my routs , and they don’t think that this success of mine will last .

They say ironic things for me and my family and they don’t like that a poor family and a poor child , TRIED in life , continue to TRY and life “smiled” to them eventually . I see in my country’s newspapers many lies about me from people who don’t know me and never met me , in person .

But why ?

For money and some temporary fame ?

I should say that all this hurted me , at the beginning and i spend many afternoons trying to understand WHY ?

Why they HATE me so much ? Because i’ve made it ? But THEY CAN TOO , if they try . Why they hate me so much ? Because they have maybe tried once to achieve a goal and they failed ? But that’s not a big theme .

They CAN TRY AGAIN and if they want it much they’ll find the way to win . I’ve failed so many times till now and i’ll fail in the future , FOR SURE . But is this a reason to hate a person ? I don’t think so .

If you let your brain and mentality to feel JEALOUSY for someone , you are walking to the wrong path . If you let your darkest emotions lead your life , how can you expect to win ?

If you don’t manage to realize that HATRED and your BAD EGOISM aren’t the “tools” you need to conquer your life’s goals , how do you expect to hold on when the pressure will rise ?

Because here is a TINY secret for you by me . Hatred and Ego are draining your strength . And you want all your powers in order to win . So what “TOOL” i choose to “answer” to all this haters and to WIN my life’s goals ?

I choose to use the OPPOSITE POWER from Hatred and Ego . And you know this is the ABSOLUTE POWER and its first letter is L ……..