TYLER SANSOM ASHBY

MY STORY

I was born in the fall of 2000, making me a dragon as pertaining to the Chinese calendar and a Virgo as pertaining to the Astrological one. You may be asking yourself, “what has that got to do with anything?” Well, my good friend, let me now dabble in the art of an impeccable one-line explanation. Perhaps coincidence, but I’ll let you be the judge: I have the fiery disposition of a dragon committed to do, to conquer, and to become; and, like Virgo, I too am incredibly attractive (at least my wife thinks so).

Now, dear reader, this is but conjuncture – but I believe, despite my best efforts, this introduction may not have wooed you so thoroughly as to earn your all-important vote to continue reading this profile. However, I also suppose that among the seemingly unending line of bios to read, this may have been the first in a while to offer a bit of comedic relief.  If, by some stroke of luck, you have cracked the corners of your mouth or suppressed a chuckle during the last minute or so, then my purposes have been succeeded, and now I may present to you the thesis of my writings: The journey of my lifetime has been learning the art of finding and providing true happiness.  

At a young age this “pursuit of happiness” led me out onto a soccer field.  Admittedly, I have rarely left that atmosphere since, more often than not spending my time with a ball at my feet. Unsurprisingly, some of my fondest memories and greatest life lessons have been had out on the pitch. That’s where I learned dreams are worth chasing; That brilliance is created when preparation meets opportunity; and that when cooperation is coupled with dedication the only limit is your imagination. Be that as it may, many of the most valuable things I came to understand were far less flashy and far less jubilant. It hurts to be undervalued, overlooked, and unwanted. It’s hard to be let down by your friends... and even harder to let them down. It stings to realize that sometimes the beautiful game is full of pain; and, when the unexpected strikes, it often leaves you broken inside and out. Notwithstanding this, I would also submit that the unexpected ordinarily paves the way to the extraordinary: for all great comebacks started with one massive let down. 

Often, the greatest comebacks do not take place in a stadium but in the shadows. They are not made in the space of minutes or hours but over years and decades - and so it was for me.  On my quest for contentment, I routinely found myself indulging in things that I would later come to understand were a form of fleeting and false joy. In the end, I found myself broken in a different way: mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Remarkably, God loves and uses broken things. It is the massive let down of a broken heart that prepares us to learn the greatest lesson of all: Christ is the King of Comebacks. Perhaps that is why He never gave up on me, and why I will never give up on anyone else. May I let my life be the proof that in him we find, and through him we provide - true happiness.