The Summer of Soundness

The rain hadn't stopped in three weeks and it seemed like the endless trek through the field would never end. As the morning dew soaked the bottom of my pants, I remembered the fun summers when I would awake well past dawn and go outside and play by the creek in my shorts. But it was now different, even if I wanted to wear my shorts, my legs would become mangled and disfigured from cuts …

…lt;Tab/>That summer I learned something more valuable than most men learn in their entire lifetime. Dave showed me how handle life. He showed me that your own self integrity is more important than sleeping in or getting weekends off. It was a self respect and a confidence in me that can not be defeated by anything. Because I knew that everything I ever do, I put all I had into it.