It's prizegiving time for schools, and I was privileged enough to go to a year 6 farewell evening as the guest speaker recently.
I'm supposed to be the inspirational speaker for the event, but in reality, I often leave these occasions more inspired myself.
The pupils are so excited to be dressing up, and enjoy being the centre of attention. They haven't discovered being staunch and still think their teachers are awesome.
I was stirred by the principal's words of advice to pupils when she said "continue to march to the beat of your own drum".
And that is exactly what Sonny Bill Williams is doing.
It is human nature to be wary of taking risks or to lack the confidence to be the boss of your own destiny.
Since Anthony Mundine took SBW under his controversial and sinewy wing, Williams has thrown all caution to the wind, taken huge risks and miraculously landed firmly on his feet every time.
Here is a man who had the world at his feet in the league community and then threw himself in the deep end by playing a foreign game in a foreign culture.
It would have been a cushy existence eating croissants and learning the ropes of rugby under the watchful eye of Tana Umaga, but SBW didn't seem ready to settle down.
He risked it all again by coming back to New Zealand to see if he could become an All Black. Despite the NZRU coaching staff adamantly claiming he had to prove himself, it was as inevitable as Santa leaving presents under the Christmas tree that SBW would one day wear the form-fitting black jersey.
As if demonstrating his athleticism in two codes wasn't enough, he also decided to enter the boxing ring in support of his mate Mundine's anti-drugs campaign. He came through two bouts triumphantly but New Zealanders had to wait a little longer to see Sonny in action as he had knee surgery at the start of the season.
If it was anyone else, coaches would have lost their cool, but this is SBW, and it appeared he rewrote the coach-player power rules.
Despite his rocky start, he did perform during the ITM Cup, and got to impress with his one-handed offloads in the northern hemisphere All Blacks tour.
He had a minor hiccup along the way when he decided to go on a ski/snowboarding trip injured, but once again the little drummer boy continued on his journey to the beat of his own drum and the coaches and New Zealand public willingly followed behind him, wondering what amazing things he would do next.
Well, if you thought there were no more surprises left, think again. Williams has announced that he'll be stepping back into the boxing ring in January, before the Super rugby season and the 2011 World Cup. Apparently there will also be another bout in a bye week during the season.
Will the NZRU come down on him like a ton of bricks and read him the riot book? Will they let him know who is boss and how we do things around here? Will Colin Meads suggest that prancing around a boxing ring with big padded gloves on would not have been considered manly enough in his day?
Nope. The NZRU is like those whipped parents you see on reality shows these days where the tearaway child runs the show. This latest announcement confirms Sonny Bill Williams runs the SBW show.
The NZRU has conceded that in order to keep Williams happily ensconced in Aotearoa/union-land, it had to compromise and give in to his demands. Todd Blackadder and Rob Penney are like his foster parents who have to accept the arrangement.
What else will SBW pull out of his Santa sack? Is he going to release an album and announce his availability for the Black Caps soon?
I wouldn't be surprised because he definitely does march to the beat of his own drum - something we'd all love to do if we had the talent and audacity to do it.
