A person that had a positive impact on my life is Luigi Basile. Luigi, or Loui for short, was an Olympic weightlifter. I used to go over to his house when I was a teenager in high school because his wife and my mom were good friends. At the time I was a senior in high school and I was having a lot of success in lacrosse. Before dinner we would talk about girls, athletics, or college. Our conversations revolved around his life experiences and he would give me a lot of advice for a boy that was transitioning into becoming a man. You could call him a mentor, but I like to call him a good friend. When I arrived at his house he would always be on the patio sitting at the head of a long metal table with a rich design. Loui would have his cell phone in his one hand watching powerlifting videos and a cigarette in his other over a ceramic ash tray. His bald head emphasized his smooth and youthful face. He wore a large, loose t-shirt and shorts and had a heavy breath. Loui knew a lot about me already and specifically he knew that I’m the type of person that likes to put others first. That day, he told me, “You need to do things that make you happy and do things for yourself, not for other people. The only person that’s going to look out for you is yourself. Remember that. When you’re on your own, people are going to take advantage of you if you let them.” When I first heard this I thought it sounded selfish, but at Florida State University I met so many new people and this information became vital. Not all of my new friends had my best interest in their mind. My sophomore year of college I got a phone call on my way home from lacrosse practice that Loui passed away. His words echo inside my head to this day. I will never forget the memories and advice he gave me. Loui never had a child, but I felt like his son.
Pure Litterateur 