Rick’s Story
From Self-Esteem to Self-Realization
By Jim Thomas, Senior Administrator of Development and Activities

The first time I met “Rick,” he was flying through the air, executing a fly-kick that was intended for me. Fortunately, he pulled back at the last moment. That would not be the last time I would see his anger, but it was certainly the most threatening. Although I didn’t know it at the time, he had good reason to be angry and was dealing with it the only way he knew: by intimidating anyone and everyone he encountered. Like many young people in our care, Rick had been hurt emotionally and physically by those who should have been his protectors, something few overcome.

One of the most unsettling things about Rick was the unpredictability of his anger. One such episode occurred during a conversation about sports after I mentioned that I had been a golf caddy in my youth. Although I have never been a golfer, he started getting angry and stated that he didn’t like golfers. Only after I explained that I had never played golf and only caddied did he calm down.

One of the ironies of our relationship was the similarity of our backgrounds. Rick and I had both been involved in farm work as youth: I as the son of sharecroppers in the South, and Rick as a migrant farm worker in California. Both of us understood the long days in the hot sun picking cotton, fruit, and vegetables for low pay and the ever-present lack of respect.

One of Rick’s strengths was his knowledge of the wilderness and living outdoors, which he had probably learned out of necessity while growing up. He was very comfortable in the wilderness and could likely have survived without his pack, full of what must have seemed like luxury items to him. Realizing his worth in the Adventure Program was probably one of the experiences that helped Rick gain self-esteem in other areas.

Everyone was amazed when Rick’s grades went from barely passing to the A/B honor roll, and even more amazed when he explained what had made the difference. Rick recounted the day he changed after he realized that those making A’s were no smarter than he was—they just studied more. He saw what he needed to do to achieve success, and he did it. Following his decision to change his life, Rick not only started making better grades, he went on to become the school’s star athlete, graduate from high school, and enter the military.