I had the good fortune to attend the 2024 state championship football game on Friday, Dec. 6. The game was held at The Villages, near Orlando, so I really was hesitant to drive myself. Going down there would have been easy enough, but the thought of driving back late at night did little to appeal to me. There was a day when that would not have phased me in the least, but that is not true of these days. I decided to ride the charter “fan bus” to the game. The trip was pleasant enough. However, due to traffic conditions in a couple of places, we arrived at the stadium with little time to spare. The bus driver let me off at the closest location, then proceeded to park the bus. Unfortunately, in my haste to find the place where my media credentials would be, I did not see or learn of where the bus would be parked. One funny side note, when I asked a young lady at the closest ticket gate where the media desk was, she said, “Media? What’s that?” I do believe there may be something lacking in our modern educational approach.
I was able to find the media desk and obtain my credentials in enough time for the kickoff. I thoroughly enjoyed the game, especially the outcome. After the game was concluded and I had taken an adequate number of post-game celebratory photos, I headed in the direction of where I thought the bus might be. That happened to be the wrong direction. Fortunately, a friend also rode the bus and I happened to have his number stored in my phone. I was able to call him, and he graciously directed me to where the bus was parked and patiently waiting on me. On my way to the bus, I happened to look down and noticed a $100 bill on the sidewalk. Of course, I reached down and picked it up and proceeded to look for someone who may be frantically looking for a lost bill. I know if I unknowingly dropped such a monetary note, I would certainly be frantically looking around for it. Not seeing anyone frantically looking around for the bill, I placed it in my pocket.