It was Father’s Day 2007 and it gave me a sense of empowerment. “Rachie,” I suggest to my then ten-year-old daughter. “Let’s ride our bikes down to Starbucks. You can’t say no today, it’s my special day!” Without hesitation, a smile beamed across her face. “That sounds like fun Dad, lets go.”
Once we arrived, I was so impressed that my daughter was being, as the Comeback Coach likes to say, “limited only by her imagination, not fear, in creating productive choices to the challenges she faced.” Her challenge was fighting boredom while her father – on his special day – talked with friends about the film, “Once.” It had been a big hit at that year’s Sundance Festival. “It’s amazing how these people co-exist with and tolerate one another,” said one critic of the story of Irish street musicians who tell their story through song. “We don’t do that very well in America.”
For whatever reason that really resonated within me, “What can we do to change that?” I asked. “We can’t change society,” she quickly responded. “But we can change our little corner of the world.”
Amen to that. However, I would suggest that in working in our “little corners of the world” we indeed CAN change society. It’s what I talk about during Run to Daylight presentations that “teamwork is the key to success.” We can rally with like-minded people in ways that honor us, nurture those dependent upon us and add value to the communities we serve, right? Rotarians call that, “service before self.”
Change has to start somewhere, right? I’m thinkin’ about that as we ride our bikes home. Then it hits me between the eyes like a lightning bolt: The best Father’s Day present I could ever imagine? Someday my kids will say, “Ya know what, my old man always tried to make sure his actions about “sacrifice of self for others” spoke far louder than his words about the subject.”
Kids, I promise to ALWAYS try my best to realize the benefit of that belief. I also hope you, especially fathers, give that philosophy a shot this week. Let’s all do our best to rise in unison for the common good. Pick your favorite cause and be part of the team trying to run to daylight and play like champions in the game of making a positive difference at home, work or community.
While there is certainly no guarantee of success, I like the odds we could get in Vegas.
