To Be the King of Diamonds

Every person has a story, and all of us can pinpoint certain moments in our lives that have defined who we are today. Even so, not everyone shares the story they have to tell.Walter Ryan Adams, a high school baseball coach, tells his players a story every year. It involves how he answered some of life's most difficult questions and found his purpose from a speech, a letter, and a baseball.In the course of his story, he explores how to respond to criticism ; how leaving your comfort zone can make a difference in your life; how to overcome challenges that seem insurmountable; and how good friends can make huge differences in your life.By recalling the details of his past, Coach Adams seeks to create a moment that his students will remember. It is these moments, after all, that define us. He doesn't tell this story for himself. He tells it so that others can learn what it meansTo Be the King of Diamonds.

By recalling the details of our past we are, in turn, creating a moment. For moments we remember. It is by moments that we are defined. I used to love cowboys and rodeo when I was a kid. My dad used to tell me that I would wake up in my crib in the middle of the night. The only thing that would calm me would be watching late night rodeo on the sports network. Of all the events, he said I would perk up most during the bull-riding. I think I enjoyed it because of the instant action that comes with the event. Bull-riders had merely 8 seconds to separate themselves from the rest.The story that I tell revolves around moments of profound questions and even more profound answers; of a high school kid, a baseball, a speech, and a note. I make it a point to open the story the same way. I don't tell this story for me. I don't tell this story for them. I tell this story because I made a promise that I would never forget what happened. I would never forget what I learned. It is my story. It is my 8 seconds.