“Live broke, die rich.”  —Alexi DeRochambeau

Guest Blog by John “Breezy” Khalil
http://breezybloglife.tumblr.com/

The late Club.Broke.Status member and king Alexi DeRochambeau passed away in the beginning of 2011, and although I never got the pleasure of knowing him, it’s evident that he left a heavy impact.  Of the countless words I’ve read from many others about who Alexi was a person, they all beckon the same.

“He was awesome.  He would show up all over the place and instantly light up the room.  He had a unique style and made no excuses of it.  He was Alexi, and if you didn’t like it, he didn’t care—he would still hang out.  Probably the most original dude I’ve ever known.

The majority of the people I see are carbon copies of one another, myself included.  He did his own thing.  At the risk of sounding cliché, he lived by his own rules, and had a helluva time doing so.  You knew you were having fun when Alexi showed up.”

—Derek Benoit, Club.Broke.Status member

We are all free to interpret a quote into our own understanding and take what we want from it, regardless of whether or not it aligns with the original author’s intended meaning.  There are no rules.  When I first read the Broke Status tagline created by Alexi, it stuck with me, even though I may have not fully comprehended it at first.  It was after dissecting it that I grasped its radiance to me.

Spend your money when it’s young and enjoy all that money can buy you, rather than save it for the future—in other words, “live broke.”  Reckless way of life?  Na.  Life is too short—I’m telling you. Your whole life can change for worse within a second. Or it can slowly change right before your eyes without you even realizing it. Or it can slowly change right before your eyes with you realizing it, yet without you being able to do a thing about it.  I used to find myself trying to ‘sustain’ certain things in my life, even the little things.  Anything as simple as not wanting to take my car out because there may still be some road salt and potholes remaining from the previous Winter, or not wanting to wear my all white sneakers on a day with foul weather.  You can’t live like that.  Enjoy what you have while you still have.  Do things you enjoy while you still can.  You never know if you’ll still be able to tomorrow.

People will remember you not only for how you affected them as an individual, but also for what you created and the impression it left on the game.  Piss on a fire hydrant.  Mark your territory.  Die rich.

-Breezy