Rekindled Memories of Days Gone By/ How You Get Shown the Light in the Strangest of Places if You Look at it Right

There was an air of anticipation floating over the Portlege grounds this past Wednesday night. The state soccer playoffs were scheduled to start the next day and the Portledge Varsity Boys team was to take on the Lycee Francais School of NYC on Sawyer Field. Thus, the field needed some preparation and care before we called it a day and went home. So Mr. Coope and myself filled up the paint machines with some environmentally friendly field marking paint and headed up to the pitch. It was late and had turned very cold as the darkness descended over Portledge, however, to my surprise there were sounds coming from the field. As we came closer we realized that it was a lone athlete taking shots at the far goal. We couldn't make the player out at first, but soon we saw it was Senior Ray Wienmann. Ray is the captain of the boys soccer team and he was getting in some final prep for the big game that was to come the next day. Somehow, as it became darker and darker, and I watched the young man shoot the ball into the goal and retrieve it for another attempt, I found myself oddly jealous of the his focus and commitment. You see, Ray was playing the game in his mind a full 24 hours before kick off and all of a sudden it became so clear. There it was... the enthusiasm,optimism and opportunity of youth. Whatever the next day's result would be, Ray was going to have a real experience participating, and the day would probably create a memory that would always stay with him. Fond memories of my own playing days quickly rushed through my head. Eventually, I thought about the games I had played on this very field, and a kind of peace settled over my contemplations. With a wry smile I remembered something someone had said not too long ago while I was attending a ceremony honoring past accomplishments. The speaker was discussing life, when they uttered the phrase,
"always look back, but never stare". So I regained focus on the task at hand, made a mental wish of good luck to Ray, and began thinking about the opportunities the future holds for all of us.