If you would walk into my home and look up, you would see a hand-painted country sign - to go with the rest of the decor - that hangs from the rafter and reads Challenge! Inspire! Encourage! I remember picking this sign out of the many available at the flee market that day. Something about it demanded my attention. Something about it whispered to me - need a life mission, here you go.
Hmm, mission - is that like "Mission Impossible" or more like the "Jerry Mcguire" mission statement. Dare I compare it to the latter. My experience with men's work has brought me to an organization that is built on mission and service - The ManKind Project. I bring this up, not to promote the organization (although that would probably be a good thing in my humble opinion), but to tell you that my mission has directed me to a world of love, compassion, hope, inspiration, encouragement, and joy!
I digress - So, Leroy, my brother, his two sons, and I decided to take a trip to an indoor activity house called Ozzies (Leesport, PA). This place is full of great fun - rock walls, ropes course, laser tag, arcade games - everything you need to fill your day with senseless play...and maybe something more - maybe a greater sense of self?
Leroy was playing basketball and the rest of us were timing ourselves in the rope climb (my younger brother [cough,cough] had the best time of 11.5 sec]. Now imagine this; a rope wall, similar to the ones you see in the military commercials, about 12 feet high, then 4 horizontal wooden beams above that every 3 feet. At the very top, a cow bell to announce your victory.
I decided to pull Leroy from the sport he could play anywhere and bring him over to the wall of competition. Although his mouth said "yeah, this wall's no problem", his body disagreed. He got to the end of the rope wall and decided to come back down. I wasn't sure how to handle that...did I let it go and move on to another sport OR did I challenge him to another climb? Anyone who knows me will tell you what I decided to do.
So as he was preparing for his second climb, I had this sense of mission, this drive to help him succeed. I thought to myself, he's going to be a stronger young man once he does this...he's going to believe in himself even more. I needed to proceed. Once he got to the end of the rope, he started to hesitate. I got my brother and nephews involved in encouraging him, yelling for him to succeed - "Go Leroy! You got it! Don't stop!" He kept it up - he got to the first beam, up and over. He came to the second - "Go, Go Go!". He made it...to the third...finally, as he approached the fourth beam, he stopped. He was done. His arms shaking from pulling himself up. His brow sweating from the battle. There was no way he wasn't going to ring that bell, I thought. I took a breath, went into my heart and said "Leroy, take a breath, and with all you have, pull yourself up and ring that bell." HE DID IT! It was awesome. He had this look on his face like he just moved a mountain. On his descent, we all applauded and praised him for his win...what a great moment.
On the way home, after a well-deserved bite to eat, we talked about the climb. I'm not sure exactly what I expected him to learn but it came to me in one small statement..."You know what Greg, next time I need to climb that wall, it's going to be easier."
No Doubt.
- gt
Showing posts with label big brother. Show all posts
Showing posts with label big brother. Show all posts
Monday, March 12, 2007
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Ready...Set...Go!
Healthy competition is good...in fact, it's probably necessary in certain aspects of life. To find competition in a game of dodgeball, however, is extremely fun (and tiring). Leroy and I joined a gang of other Big Brothers and Big Sisters this week and visited a fun zone called BounceU (http://www.bounceu.com). This place is full of air-filled 'rooms' and obstacles that invites everyone who enters to find their inner child and just play (not hard for me to do).
One of the best moments for me that evening was a small moment. We were in the dodgeball room plotting how we were going to rush the other side and pummel them with the random sized balls we collected through our battles. We were both sitting in the safest corner on our side so as to not get smacked down ourselves, when another boy came to join our side. Leroy knew him from past events and quickly grabbed his attention and said "This is Greg, my brother.". Small statement, yes, powerful words, for me, yes. I was moved. It may have been the way he said it, with his big smile - It may have been the excitement of being in the middle of battle - but something inside me smiled. I understood, for a brief moment, that I was making a difference.
I typically dispel ideas of bringing good to any one's life. Perhaps it was a wound I received as a child (you know that 'not good enough' b.s.). Never the less, I made room for this. I realized that I do make a difference to this young man. He's proud to be with me. He feels safe when he's around me. He talks to me about things that bother him - things I felt like I could never take to anyone when I was a child.
The great thing is, I didn't do anything except show up. It spoke volumes to how simple it really is to mentor. I used to worry about things like "what are we gonna do"..."what are we gonna talk about"... not anymore. I realize by just being who I am and listening to who he is, like any relationship, it grows. The benefit is that I provide a choice to a boy who may need another choice in his life.
I hope this story gives you a sense of how easy mentorship is and the greatness it brings. Ready...Set...Go!
-gt
One of the best moments for me that evening was a small moment. We were in the dodgeball room plotting how we were going to rush the other side and pummel them with the random sized balls we collected through our battles. We were both sitting in the safest corner on our side so as to not get smacked down ourselves, when another boy came to join our side. Leroy knew him from past events and quickly grabbed his attention and said "This is Greg, my brother.". Small statement, yes, powerful words, for me, yes. I was moved. It may have been the way he said it, with his big smile - It may have been the excitement of being in the middle of battle - but something inside me smiled. I understood, for a brief moment, that I was making a difference.
I typically dispel ideas of bringing good to any one's life. Perhaps it was a wound I received as a child (you know that 'not good enough' b.s.). Never the less, I made room for this. I realized that I do make a difference to this young man. He's proud to be with me. He feels safe when he's around me. He talks to me about things that bother him - things I felt like I could never take to anyone when I was a child.
The great thing is, I didn't do anything except show up. It spoke volumes to how simple it really is to mentor. I used to worry about things like "what are we gonna do"..."what are we gonna talk about"... not anymore. I realize by just being who I am and listening to who he is, like any relationship, it grows. The benefit is that I provide a choice to a boy who may need another choice in his life.
I hope this story gives you a sense of how easy mentorship is and the greatness it brings. Ready...Set...Go!
-gt
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Another First
How important are firsts, how memorable? I guess it all depends. Well, tonight was Leroy's first time seeing the Harlem Globetrotters (http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com). My first time seeing them was with my wife a few years ago.
For me, the first time I saw the Globetrotters, despite being an adult, was a magical experience. I remember growing up knowing who they were by seeing them on TV, knowing the amazing things they could do with a simple ball. I remember thinking to myself that they probably weren't even real, that it was all some kind of magic...you know cinematography stuff. I'm sure that's at least one thing that contributed to my magical experience.
When we showed up for the show, and the Globetrotters came out onto the floor doing their 'magical circle' to "Sweet Georgia Brown", I watched Leroy's eyes light up, triggering the magical experience I had only a few years ago. The Globetrotters did their thing, their ball-handling magic, their shooting magic, their halarious antics...it was a great show. Leroy couldn't help but laugh everytime the team played a joke on another player or the audience. He kept saying "did you see that"..."that's crazy"...what a blast.
Anyway, I can only hope his first experience with the Globetrotters reserves a little space in his memory bank and that he can recall it, recall the happiness and laughter, whenever he needs - or, as most memories occur for me lately, at completely unexpected moments. Those times when you remember something funny, your face breaks out into a HUGE smile, and no one around you knows what the heck your smiling at - priceless!
- gt
For me, the first time I saw the Globetrotters, despite being an adult, was a magical experience. I remember growing up knowing who they were by seeing them on TV, knowing the amazing things they could do with a simple ball. I remember thinking to myself that they probably weren't even real, that it was all some kind of magic...you know cinematography stuff. I'm sure that's at least one thing that contributed to my magical experience.
When we showed up for the show, and the Globetrotters came out onto the floor doing their 'magical circle' to "Sweet Georgia Brown", I watched Leroy's eyes light up, triggering the magical experience I had only a few years ago. The Globetrotters did their thing, their ball-handling magic, their shooting magic, their halarious antics...it was a great show. Leroy couldn't help but laugh everytime the team played a joke on another player or the audience. He kept saying "did you see that"..."that's crazy"...what a blast.
Anyway, I can only hope his first experience with the Globetrotters reserves a little space in his memory bank and that he can recall it, recall the happiness and laughter, whenever he needs - or, as most memories occur for me lately, at completely unexpected moments. Those times when you remember something funny, your face breaks out into a HUGE smile, and no one around you knows what the heck your smiling at - priceless!
- gt
Friday, February 9, 2007
Welcome to my journey
I recently watched a movie entitled "The Secret" that discussed methods to bring ones 'wants' into reality. I am one of the worlds biggest skeptics and thought to myself after watching the movie - "Yeah, whatever, some people put like a thousand things on a list; one or two of them came true; and all of a sudden, this is a proof-of-concept method to getting what you want out of life."
I'm not here to either prove or disprove the concept. I bring this up, because something in the movie inspired me to move into action in my life. For much of my life, I felt the need to receive because my thought was that I gave so much to life already, that it's my turn to get. Sounds strange from a man who's a young 36 years old, but after growing up in an abusive, alcoholic childhood, loosing my father at the age of 14, and fighting addiction for many years, I had good reason to 'want'.
When I was 23, my life's journey took a turn (not sure if it was left or right). Long story short, I'm sober for 14 years now, grew into my identity through self-discovery work, and am active in living a life of integrity, action, and mission.
I think back to the times in my youth that I was looking for mentorship. Sure I had no idea what that word was about, but I knew that I needed a friend, someone to say "you probably don't want to do that" or "when I was your age, I tried that and...". Who knows where I would be now, whether I'd be different or not...I'm here to tell you that I sure would have loved that chance.
I became a Big Brother (http://www.BigBrothersBigSisters.org) recently and was matched with a great boy named Leroy. We've been hanging out for a few months now and it's been a great experience.
Rather than going into the details of our experiences here, I'll just tell you that my intent with this blog is to share our growth and journey together so other men (and women) can see how easy, how joyful, and how vital it is to mentor a child into this world.
My hope is that others will invite the experience of mentorship into their lives.
- gt
I'm not here to either prove or disprove the concept. I bring this up, because something in the movie inspired me to move into action in my life. For much of my life, I felt the need to receive because my thought was that I gave so much to life already, that it's my turn to get. Sounds strange from a man who's a young 36 years old, but after growing up in an abusive, alcoholic childhood, loosing my father at the age of 14, and fighting addiction for many years, I had good reason to 'want'.
When I was 23, my life's journey took a turn (not sure if it was left or right). Long story short, I'm sober for 14 years now, grew into my identity through self-discovery work, and am active in living a life of integrity, action, and mission.
I think back to the times in my youth that I was looking for mentorship. Sure I had no idea what that word was about, but I knew that I needed a friend, someone to say "you probably don't want to do that" or "when I was your age, I tried that and...". Who knows where I would be now, whether I'd be different or not...I'm here to tell you that I sure would have loved that chance.
I became a Big Brother (http://www.BigBrothersBigSisters.org) recently and was matched with a great boy named Leroy. We've been hanging out for a few months now and it's been a great experience.
Rather than going into the details of our experiences here, I'll just tell you that my intent with this blog is to share our growth and journey together so other men (and women) can see how easy, how joyful, and how vital it is to mentor a child into this world.
My hope is that others will invite the experience of mentorship into their lives.
- gt
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