The Humble Guide

• Post By: Greg Crumpton
• Date: April 10, 2017
• Category: Blog
• Tags: #LifeLongLearning, Excellence, greg crumpton, personal development, service to others, success, teamwork

I was just standing there waiting for my take out order, when my week was made so whole and so complete that I couldn’t quit smiling.  

 Smiling as in major goof-ball kind of smiling, all the way home.  

It had been a great week of travel in California with my bride. We did some wind mill snooping around, maybe a bit too snoopy, or that’s what the security guard told me anyway.  I wrapped it up with a nice chat at the office and then was headed home for a great weekend, grabbing some dinner along the way.

 From behind, they looked really normal. Normal like most 15-year-old girls look from behind, complete with the obligatory iPhone hanging halfway out of their back pockets.   

 From the side, they looked very dissimilar.  Pigment of their skin, facial features, hair textures, etc… They were not look-a-likes, in other words. 

Most of us know, the 15-year-old or so stage is a tough period for maturing young ladies.   It’s all about identity, finding their own, dealing with body image, getting comfortable in their own skin and all that. Peer pressure, looks, brands, and all those things they feel keeps them in with the right crowd. 

Then it happened. 

They both turned around. Now we were full, front-on facing each other.  One of the girls was blind.  I discerned that from the unique eye-coloring the young lady had and then I noticed a folded cane.  

Her friend, the super-hero in my mind, led the young lady around the restaurant, getting their drinks, selecting a spot to sit, etc… This youngster went all out in doing for her friend. 

She wasn’t worried about being cool or any of that crap, she was just giving of herself so her friend could have as a normal experience at dinner as possible.  

It was a privilege to watch and I think it was pride I felt, pride for our younger generation in one of those moments when you get to say to yourself, “Hey, there are some great kids out there.”

It was so refreshing to see the positive energy that one was giving to the other and I suspect, it was flowing in each direction.  If you were to ask her, I’ll bet the guiding friend wouldn’t have thought that my glee in watching them was unwarranted, she was simply being a friend.  

 In my mind, showing humility and serving is one of the most awesome actions anyone can take, and to do it publicly and without fan-fare, is one step closer to sainthood.  

Maybe this hit me extra hard, as I know how hard it can be on a youngster with anything that makes them different or stand out.  Perhaps seeing a peer of someone in need serving in such a non-judgmental fashion was balm for my soul.

Doing the right thing, doing whatever it takes, being resilient, standing up for what we believe in or simply taking care of someone who needs a guiding hand. 

 What are you out there doing?

 Me?  I am out living in it. 

 I’m absorbing as much good as I know how to, finding new ways to absorb more and then figuring out some ways to give that positive energy back into my household, my wife, the young folks I sit and counsel with, the companies I serve and the industries I love.

 Until next time, stay indefatigable.