We all left there within a year, as
intended. Travis eventually landed a
big-time job covering the Pittsburgh
Pirates, and he now has a New York
Times bestselling sports book about
baseball. Jeff became one of the most
well-known NASCAR writers in the
country, with almost 200,000 Twitter
followers. Now he’s got his own me-
dia company that’s doing quite well.
In 2017, Jeff and I went to a Char-
lotte Knights game, and he said
something about Rocky Mount that
I won’t forget. “I didn’t appreciate
it then, but honestly, when I look
back, it’s probably the best time I’ve
ever had in my career.”
What is success? Buddy, I don’t
know. On those late nights, it was
making good contact on Travis’s
curveball. Now it’s running a tenth
of a mile farther than I did last week.
Or the sound of a storm door latch-
ing shut after I install it myself. Or
the morning Laura said yes.
More than a year ago, I wrote a
story and no readers yelled at me
about it, which these days is a suc-
cess. But nobody said anything nice
either, so is it a failure? I don’t know.
College students ask me for advice
every now and then, if you can be-
lieve it. Maybe that’s success. But last
night an editor at a publication I’ve
been dying to write for replied to a
pitch with the murderous words
“This just isn’t the right fit for us,”
and I scanned job boards for a new
line of work.
Maybe it’s beyond work, though.
In June 2018, my dad visited and
made it the whole weekend without
falling while transferring to his wheel-
chair. That’s a victory. To another
person, though, success might be a
senior discount on McDonald’s coffee,
or a night sleeping on a bench with-
out getting wet, or the last meeting
with a parole officer. You get the point.
Maybe success isn’t measured in
achievements, or “being happy with
who you are,” or any of the clichés
in self-help books on this matter.
Goals and personal peace are selfish
markers, and I don’t mean to imply
selfishness is a bad thing, not at all.
Selfishness is the axis of humankind,
from cavemen to astronauts to saints
on earth. Individual accomplishments
bring community accomplishments
bring worldwide accomplishments.
But all of the accomplishments in the
universe may not leave you feeling
successful, right?
I’m rambling here, I know. But the
point is, maybe success is a smaller
calculation, something more like
what Jeff hinted at. Maybe success is
having the wherewithal to be grateful
at the precise moment you have
something to be grateful for.
Thank you for writing, old friend.
Mike
charlotte magazine (july 3, 2018), copyright © 2018
by michael graff, charlottemagazine.com.What do RD readers consider signs of
success? Turn the page to find out.rd.com 113Inspiration