Once upon a

time there was a little boy, and his entire world ­ the things most

important to him ­ were high school, football, driving cars and,

of course, girls. Not necessarily in that order.

At age 14,

high school was new ­ it seemed big and intimidating. The boy was

unsure whether it was right for him or if he was right for it. While trying

to "fit in and become part of a team" he went out for football.

The first day, Coach put him on defense and told him to tackle the ball

carrier.

Years went

by, during which the boy grew bigger and stronger. And all along, he looked

up to his Dad for guidance and answers to the things that mattered most

in his life: high school, football, driving cars and, of course, girls.

Not necessarily in that order.

In high school

he grew academically, learning many new things. During math class he learned

about quadratic equations, theories, statistics, and accounting principles

all things the boy though he would never use and were a waste of his time.

But later in life, those skills learned helped the boy to open and operate

two business of his own. In history class he was told, "The reason

why we must study history is so that we don't repeat it." He read

about man's inhumanity to man and in doing so, he learned how to care.

He took a foreign

language for four years ­ English. In class he was taught how verbs,

adverbs, nouns and pronouns come together to form sentences. He learned

how sentences came together to form paragraphs, and paragraphs came together

to form stories ­ a skill he though he would have no use for. Many

years later the boy wishes he'd spent more time learning about English

and less time arguing with the teacher. And all along, he looked up to

his Dad for guidance and answers to things that mattered most in his life:

high school, football, driving cars and, of course, girls. Not necessarily

in that order.

His football

career started with the snap of a ball and his first tackle as an eight

grader. It ended with his last tackle in the region finals as a senior.

He followed in his older brother's footsteps, a star tackle for the team

just one year ahead of him. Both of them found themselves chasing their

Dad's shadow ­ a star running back for his high school football team

many years before. A knee injury his junior year and many long practices

in the dust, humidity, and hot Georgia sun helped to temper the boy. He

learned many of life's lessons on the football field that he has carried

through out his adult life. Lessons like: "Never give up," "You

can be down and still not be out," and "Life's not a spectator's

sport - you play to win and you play till the end." And all along,

he looked up to his dad for guidance and answers to things that mattered

most in his life: high school, football, driving cars and of course, girls.

Not necessarily in that order.

He drove his

dad around every Saturday for a year, learning the rules of the road and

getting familiar with how to handle an automobile. Like many, he got his

driver license at age 16, and like many, the boy got two tickets before

he was 17. For each ticket received, he walked for three months and learned

that with freedom comes responsibility. And all along, he looked up to

his dad for guidance and answers to things that mattered most in his life:

high school, football, driving cars and, of course girls. Not necessarily

in that order.

He only dated

in his senior year, and then only for the homecoming dance. And all along,

he looked up to his dad for guidance and answers to things that mattered

most in his life: high school, football, driving cars and, of course girls.

Not necessarily in that order.

Once upon a

time there is another little boy and his entire world ­ the things

most important to him, are high school, football, driving cars and, of

course, girls. Not necessarily in that order. In about two years, his

high school world will also end. That chapter in his life will be closed

forever. When it does, he would have played four years of hard-nose high

school football for one of the best teams in this county ­ making

many friends along the way.

Upon graduation

The Boy will have learned all about quadratic equations, theories, statistics,

and accounting principles ­ all valuable skills he can utilize one

day to open a business of his own. At that time concerns about driving

cars will long be a thing of the past, but I don't have the heart to tell

him not to look up to his dad for guidance on that last one. For try as

he might ­ girls ­ he'll never figure out.

[Rick Ryckeley

is employed by the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services.

He can be reached at [email protected].]