91猫先生

From the desk of Wally Dawkins, Athletic Director:

I love all kinds of music.

When I was younger I would listen to Jackson Brown, James Taylor or maybe the Eagles. 聽As I 鈥済rew up鈥�, I enjoyed Bruce Springsteen, The Stones, & U2. Lately I have become a huge Sinatra fan while throwing back a little to Don Henley, Jimmy Buffet, and Phil Collins. 聽Although I grew up in Abilene, Texas, I have never been a really big Country Music fan. 聽But when you lived in the 鈥淏ig Country鈥�, names like Steve Earl, Gary Stewart, and George Strait were a big part of the West Texas culture so you were pretty much inundated with the sounds of steel guitars and nasal whang. 聽There are however, some songs by a popular singer named Kenny Chesney that resonate with me because of the lyrics, and they say that every country song tells a story.

A few years ago, Kenny Chesney put out a song entitled 鈥淎 Lot of Things Different鈥�. 聽The theme of this song is basically describing some of the things that Kenny would have done different if he had the chance. 聽One of the last lines says 鈥淚 think we鈥檇 all do a lot of things different鈥�. 聽And I agree with that!聽 Most of us, if we could, would do a lot of things different. 聽I am puzzled sometimes when I hear people say 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 have changed a thing鈥�.聽 When I hear that my first thought is 鈥淲ow鈥�they have had it all together this whole time and have no regrets.鈥� 聽But then I start to wonder 鈥渁re you really that stubborn鈥�cynical鈥�arrogant鈥�perfect鈥�? (I鈥檓 thinking that is usually the case more times than not).

When the song A Lot of Things Different was popular a few years back, almost every time I heard it, I would begin to think of many things I would have done different.聽 Some of those things were minor and fairly insignificant.聽 Some of the others things I would do different however, could have made a bigger and more positive impact in my life.

Below I have listed a sampling of a few of the things I would have done different.聽 I will let you guess which ones are the most significant:

1.聽I would have said 鈥渢hank you鈥� more.聽 *Note: I heard a minister say a few years ago that you should 鈥淭hank God鈥� five times, before you ever got out of bed in the morning.聽 I think that is good advice.

2. I wish I had worried more about how other people鈥檚 day was going instead of just caring about my day.

3. I would have taken more walks on the beach in October, instead of spending so much time lying on the beach in July.

4. I would have noticed and paid more attention to the kids at school 鈥渨ho didn鈥檛 matter鈥�.

5. I would not have gone on as many hunting and fishing trips so I could have stayed home more often to tuck my kids in bed at night.聽(I always liked the way my kid鈥檚 heads smelled when I would lean down and kiss them goodnight as they were growing up.聽 I can still go hunting and fishing, but I don鈥檛 think their heads would smell the same way to me now that they are adults!).

6.聽I really wish I would have 鈥減layed catch鈥� more with my dad.

7. I would not have pushed the 鈥渟end鈥� button.

8. I wish I would have eaten one more piece of my grandmothers chocolate fudge pie.

9. I would not have told my 6鈥�8 Postman Eric Raska at Whitehouse that 鈥渉e was a weenie鈥� for missing practice that day due to a tummy ache.聽 Little did I know that later that afternoon he would have his appendix taken out.聽 Now that resulted in a tough coach-parent conference.聽 (Eric by the way became a demolitions expert in the U.S. Army and served eight years including two tours of duty in Iraq.聽 Some weenie huh?).

10. Stretched.

This list could go on and on, and I am sure most of you would have no problem making up of your own list of the things that you would have done different.

Now I realize that most of my musical interests are 鈥渁 little edgy鈥�, and I鈥檓 not sure that liking songs by Mick Jagger or 鈥淭he Boss鈥� is the best choice.聽 However, most art鈥�and artists, do push the envelope a little with their sculptures, lyrics, paintings, etc.聽 But just so you know, I do follow a personal rule now that before noon each day, I only listen to Contemporary Christian music, and on Sunday Mornings it鈥檚 鈥淪ongs of Praise on KVNE. 聽But as I mentioned earlier, and since country music does tell a story, another song by Kenny Chesney I like is titled 鈥淒on鈥檛 Blink鈥�. 聽You have probably heard it.聽 The song begins with a man who is a 102 years old talking about his life, and how fast those years have gone by. 聽In the second verse Chesney says the old man looks right at him and says 鈥渂etter start putting first things first鈥�.

As we look back on our lives and our relationships, most of us would change a few things if we could.聽 I remember hearing a preacher talk about the number of times he had gone to a hospital room, and sat beside a person who was terminally ill, and in their last days on earth.聽 The preacher said that in all those times that he had visited dying patients in hospital rooms, he never had someone say that 鈥淚 wish I had spent more time at work, or done better on my investments, or eaten more foods with less carbs鈥�.聽 It was always about wishing they had spent more time with their children, their spouse鈥�family.

At 91猫先生, we talk a lot about how we are just like a family.聽 We also talk about priorities, with our student athletes, and as a coaching staff. It is my hope that over the years, as we grow, and get older as a school, that we will focus on what is good for the family, because putting family first is something we will never regret.

Just another reason to be 鈥淎LL ORANGE鈥�All The Time”.