Coach to Coach

10The Golden Rule

After the Trackside Diner, Brian headed home for a nice evening with Kelly and the kids. He took his new job description to heart and talked with Kelly about what she wanted from her career and their family, and he thought about how he could be more helpful to get her there. Reflecting on the story the old coach had told him about the professor and his students, he realized Kelly and the girls were his “coffee.” Brian spent some time after they went to sleep jotting down a few notes in the golden notebook that the old coach had given him. One note in particular struck him with some inspiration. In the notebook, under the job description of a coach, he also wrote the words Target and Direction. With that, he fell asleep excited about the workout the old coach had in store for him.

4:30 a.m. is a lonely but quiet hour on the campus of a university. Brian actually now liked being an “early bird” since he felt he was able to be more productive and get an edge on the rest of the world that was still asleep. Although he really enjoyed working out, it had been a few years since he had given up on his consistent routine of running and lifting. With the lack of time from work and the arrival of his children, Brian couldn't remember when his last workout was, but he realized as he walked out to the practice field in the dark that it had been a long time. Brian found the old coach waiting for him by the gate.

“Wakey, wakey,” he greeted Brian. “Good morning, and thanks ...