Something better will come

By Mike Moritz

My sophomore year Spanish teacher was more than a teacher to me. He was, still is and hopefully will continue to act as a mentor to me. I have found myself telling him about things that I only tell my close friends and time and time again, he has always said the right thing to me.

And I remember one of the most the memorable things he taught me, just a few weeks ago.

I'm upset that I'm not get much playing time on Varsity baseball this year (I've accepted it but I'm still upset about it-no one likes being a bench player). He and I stopped in the hallway and asked me how baseball was going. And I was honest with him. I told him it was frustrating that I wasn't playing up to my ability in practice, how I was having trouble with my fielding because I felt too much pressure from my Coach.

I was so successful in Mr. (Senor) Barahona's class. I got an A for the year! Walking into his classroom everyday was a joy in itself. He supported me every step of the way and went out of his way to help me out when I was confused. He was fun and a great person. He's a great story teller and is passionate about everything he says. A moment when he put down the white board marker in the middle of writing a sentence and asked us "How did I become a teacher?" makes class fun, which encouraged me.

Point is, he's an amazing man.

"Mike, I want you to remember something: Something BETTER will happen. You are an amazing kid and truly gifted. Don't you ever forget that."

And the more time I have had for that notion to sink in, the more I realize that it's true.

For one reason AT LEAST.

I found a girl, which didn't work out and I thought that was disappointing at first. But now I have a better one. A better fit for me.

I haven't gotten much playing time. But now I have a really, really, REALLY, good feeling about this summer/fall season.

I just want to pass that lesson on to my peers. And anyone who wants to know. Patiance is a virtue and no one will always have patience but you should try to remember that something happen that makes you unhappy now is building up for something better in the future. Maybe it's something you were looking for or maybe it's a surprise.

But I can tell you that when Barahona looked at me right in the face and told me that, I got chills. And I bought into the notion instantly.