Everyday we encounter people some known and some unknown. Each encounter offers us an opportunity to either raise someone's spirits or dash them. I would like to share two such events from my life that have special meaning to me. These individuals were experts in their fields with years and years of experience. They had trained others and mentored them professionally.
Growing up I came to realize, pretty early on, that I was what my mom would call, "a jack of all trades, a master of none." I could throw a ball and catch one as good as the average guy (I played boys baseball not girls softball). I could hit and run the bases as equally mediocre. I could swim enough to pass all the pool requirements and make the team but was never better than average. So, this was my lot in life and I was happy with that. Truth be told, I like change and variety, so spending countless hours practicing for one thing wasn't my cup of tea. I actually liked having the varied experience.
One sport I never tried as a kid was golf. We were, let's say, on the south side of middle class hovering just above poverty at times. And, we moved around A LOT. We weren't gypsies but an enlisted military family. There were no piano lessons or gymnastics for us because we all liked to eat. Actually, we loved to eat!
My career in marketing provided me opportunities to work local golf charity outings and we now had some friends that played golf. My husband and I decided we would give it a try. We had been to the range a few times, played some pitch 'n putt while at a conference in Vancouver. I had never had a lesson but just watched everyone else while trying to figure it out.
One day, we were at the driving range and we were hitting our bucket of balls when I man drives up to us in his golf cart. I knew he worked their because of his shirt but that's all I knew. As inexperienced as I was, I didn't want people watching me make a fool of myself but I teed up the ball anyway, addressed it and took a swing. I felt it was a pretty well hit ball for me but shrugged and went to tee my next ball.
The gentleman got out of his cart and walked up to me. He said, "You have a very nice swing." To this I said, "Oh, I am just learning to play but thanks." He stood there for a minute and said, "Oh then, that was a very nice swing." He then turned his attention to my husband and shared a couple of tips on his swing. It miffed me a bit because I thought why wouldn't he give me some pointers too. So I voiced my thoughts to my husband who replied, "You don't know who that was?" Dumbfounded I replied, "No, am I suppose to!" He went on to explain that he was a champion long driver. My husband has all this, to me anyway, useless sports trivia in his brain that comes in handy once or twice a year playing trivia games and knew who this man was because he was a hometown hero. That compliment still ranks up there as one of my all-time favorite compliments.
But the one that ranks higher happened several years ago while out in California for workshop. I was coordinator of the three-day event. It was about 7 a.m. the day following the workshop. A couple of friends at the workshop had planned to stay an extra day or two to sightsee and we made plans to drive over to Pacific Coast Highway from the event city. We knew it would take us an hour to get over there and we wanted to drive half the day south and then drive back in the evening.
I was driving my rental car with Norman as my co-pilot. Kathy was sleeping in the backseat. Norman is 6'5 or so and a police officer. Over the years, Norm and I have traveled to lots of cities & countries together for these workshops or conferences. We hit the I-10 towards the coast chatting about the workshop. It was Saturday and the traffic was light for residents, but for us, it was rush hour. It was a six-lane highway and I was in the fourth lane towards the middle. As Norm and I chatted quietly while Kathy napped, I had cars on both sides of me when the car in front of me swerved to reveal a red leather couch sitting across my lane.
Now, it was a beautiful couch and I might would have even like to have it, but as it sat in my lane, I feared it. As I reviewed my options in a nano second, I sucked in the sides of that car when I sucked the air into my lungs to narrowly miss the couch and the cars in the other lanes. I remember watching Norm with my peripheral vision. His face was so calm, no knee jerks or hands thrown toward the dash. At the moment I realized that I didn't touch the couch or the other car, I started breathing again. I looked over at Norm and he said, "That was some good driving, Ms. Kerri. I would ride with you anytime." Now that may not seem like much and many of you may have been faced with a red leather couch in your lane but Norm was a trained police officer with many years under his belt and had seen a lot. So his compliment is special to me.
The reason that I share these stories is that we all have the opportunity to create a memory that will stick with someone the rest of their lives. You never know how your words will carry them in dark days or bring a smile to their face when they need one. Both of these events spring to mind when I am having a rough day or feel inadequate at a particular moment. They are valuable memories that have enriched my life. Do you have moments like these that have become part of the fiber of your being? One way to honor them is to share them because they may inspire others to do great things.
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