Fighton247 Board

USC QB Matt Barkely takes life, school and football seriously but not himself. He has a lot of fun in life, school, with his teammates and playing football. He has great joy in helping other people. Next months he's gong to Haiti to build some houses with 15-16 of his teammates, his dad and his family. His dad is a USC grad, and I've got the feeling that a lot of the lessons we could learn from Matt he learned at home and from the person he follows in life.

When I met Mrs SColdtimer I thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever met. I invited her to the Rose Parade and then the USC/Purdue Rose Bowl game in 1966. I realized right away she was someone very special. She had a special joy. It's that joy and happiness that comes from not taking yourself too seriously. She was so beautiful, but it wasn't something she thought about. She not only thought about others before herself, she didn't spend much time thinking about herself at all. She could laugh at herself and didn't get offended by others. She had a freedom few people enjoy.

Matt Barkley has that freedom as well. Maybe it's that freedom from self that enables us to love life and the people around us. That might be the best lesson any of us could learn. In the book The Natural we are told there is a life you learn from and one you live after that. We can all change for the better. All we need to do is want to.

I'm glad Matt will be at USC for another year. I'm never to old to learn. And he isn't so young, that he can't team me some valuable lessons.