LIFE'S PLEASURE

***** I LEARNED TO READ AT A VERY EARLY AGE . WAY BEFORE FIRST GRADE I WAS READING THOSE CHILDREN'S BOOKS .

THE POLITICALLY INCORRECT LITTLE BLACK SAMBO WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITES . 

MY MOTHER READ TO ME WHEN I WAS VERY SMALL . THIS EARLY INTRODUCTION TRIGGERED A LOVE TO READ THAT NEVER VANISHED .

READING WAS VERY GOOD TO ME BECAUSE I GREW UP IN SEMI - ISOLATION . THERE WERE NO PLAYMATES WITHIN A MILE OR SO . 

BOOKS WERE MY COMPANIONS AND FILLED COUNTLESS HOURS . I MUCH PREFERRED THE COMPANY OF BOOKS TO THAT OF PEOPLE . 

READING OPENED THE WORLD TO ME AND ALLOWED ME TO BE EXPOSED  TO HIDDEN UNKNOWNS .

I HAVE ENJOYED READING FOR OVER SIXTY YEARS NOW . I AVERAGE TWO BOOKS A WEEK .

AS YOU MIGHT GUESS , I HAVE ACCUMULATED A FEW BOOKS . I THINK I HAVE CLOSE TO 2000 IN THE HOUSE AT THIS TIME . 

I HAVE GIVEN AWAY AS MANY BOOKS AS I HAVE KEPT . 

I HAVE 477 BOOKS PERTAINING TO FOOTBALL AT THE MOMENT . THIS TOTAL DOES NOT INCLUDE PLAYBOOKS ,MANUALS ,OR CLINIC NOTES . 

IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO CALCULATE HOW MUCH I HAVE SPENT ON BOOKS . I OBTAINED BOOKS THROUGH RETAIL STORES, ONLINE , DISCOUNTS , YARD SALES ,TRADES, GOODWILL AND THE LIBRARY .

OVER 90 % OF THE BOOKS I OWN ARE  NON -FICTION . I RARELY BUY A  FICTION BOOK , OPTING TO BORROW OR USE THE LIBRARY INSTEAD . 

IF YOU READ YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT ANY SUBJECT YOU WISH . YOUR WORLD HAS NO LIMITS . YOU CAN SHARE THE EXPERIENCES OF OTHERS THROUGH READING . 

YOU WILL NEVER BE LONELY & YOUR BOOKS WILL NEVER FORSAKE YOU . IT IS ENJOYABLE TO EXIST IN IDEALS AND CONCEPTS. 

I LOVE TO READ !  

***** REMEMBERING . ONE OF THE FIRST COACHES I EVER WORKED WITH WAS CHARLIE STEPHENS AT MARKED TREE . 

COACH CHARLIE HAD COACHED THE FRESHMAN AT MARKED TREE SINCE NOAH LANDED THE ARK . 

COACH WAS OLDER THAN DIRT . HE HAD TO BE PUSHING 50 . WHEN YOU ARE 22 ANYTHING PAST 30 IS ON UP THERE . 

ON OFFENSE COACH RAN THE SHORT PUNT FORMATION . ONLY THE SERIOUS FAN WILL KNOW WHAT I AM SPEAKING OF . 

EVERYTIME THERE WAS A COACHING CHANGE ,THEY WOULD PLEAD FOR COACH STEPHENS TO TAKE THE VARSITY . HE NEVER WOULD . 

HE OFTEN TOLD ME " THE NINTH GRADE IS THE LAST YEAR YOU KNOW MORE THAN THEY DO "

THANK YOU CHARLIE FOR ALL THE WISDOM GIVEN 40 YEARS AGO . 

********* THANKS FOR READING