The parable of the boy, and the uncertainty of living

By Ryan Maloney, assistant women's volleyball coach

Head Coach Geoff Braun with sons Keaton (age five) and London (age three)

There's a wonderful parable of a five-year-old boy who wanted to be a magician.

The boy loved magic, and he pleaded with his parents to buy him the newest magic kit so he could practice his tricks. He was going to be the best magician in the world.

But by the time the boy turned eight he wanted to be an astronaut. He practically forced his parents to send him to space camp.

And when the boy turned twelve he wanted to train horses, begging his parents for a pony. Taking his interest seriously, the boy's parents bought not one, but two ponies, and built a stable for them.

Finally the boy was seventeen and ready for college. He now wanted to be an engineer after his calculus professor showed him the power of mathematics. He approached his parents to ask if perhaps they'd pay for him to go to an advanced engineering school.

"I'm sorry," the boy's parents said. "When you were young we thought you were going to be a magician, so we bought you the magic kits. Then we sent you to space camp for three straight summers when you were going to be an astronaut. And we bought you the ponies when you wanted to be a horse trainer. We don't have any money left to pay for your college."

When plans go awry, it helps to remember we couldn't predict with any certainty where our lives were going anyway.