Respect.
A tough word.
On one hand, you can be respected by some people and on another, not, by others.
I was in Midland on Saturday and an individual who is involved in promoting high school athletics, including private schools, was excited to meet me because of some of the work I've done and am doing currently.
He and his broadcast partner asked me to be a guest during their football broadcast of Midland Christian School and Houston St. Pius X.
We had a great discussion during halftime and I felt much respect and I thanked them publicly through our LSCSN (Lone Star Christian Sports Network) Twitter feed for offering that respect.
Yet, while the announcing that I do in the running and triathlon community is fun, the lack of respect - and being taken for granted by some producers - has been discouraging.
And those have driven me - primarily - from something that I used to always have fun always doing, but yet still had much satisfaction for the job that I did for producers even though for road races my talents can be considered a luxury. (Meaning, you can still start a race on-time and so many other things without me.)
I'm writing this this evening from the greater Nashville area and I spent a part of the evening attending the basketball game of Ravenwood High School and Lipscomb Academy about three miles away from the hotel that I'm staying at this week for work.
One's a public school; the other, a private school.
But the private school is where two longtime friends from Houston's Westbury Christian School are in leadership positions -- one is the head of school and the other is in their development office. They are two of the most incredible people that I know.
As I looked at schedules for after work this week, I noticed that their school's basketball season opened tonight and I reached out to one of the two via Direct Message on Twitter to see if either one of them was going to be there tonight.
He said that he wouldn't be, but at the Belmont vs. Lipscomb contest Wednesday night, which I had plans and am going to tomorrow.
Nonetheless, I wanted to get out a see a basketball game some place new this evening - getting dinner around 6 p.m. before the 7:30 p.m. contest -- and I went hoping to see the other of the two.
Midway through the first quarter, I saw him walk in at the other end of the gym and on the other side. Given that he's the head of school, I knew that he would spend time connecting with parents, supporters, etc. Therefore, I waited until the 4:00 mark of the fourth quarter to make my way over to see him.
He was there with one of his two sons and one of his grandchildren.
As I walked toward him, he was surprised and happy to see me. He said as I went to shake his hand that he thought that he had seen me (there in the gym), but thought, "No, there's no way that he would be here." I explained why I was in town and so on ... it was good to put a smile on somebody's face.
We had a great conversation and he said that he would be at tomorrow night's contest as well as the athletic director that originally hired him at Westbury Christian. I'm already looking forward to it.
But back to putting smiles on people's faces, it is something I get enjoyment from.
Not that I seek praise or anything of or from it, it just makes me feel good and it is something that I wish I could do for one person on a regular basis.
And, conversely, that makes me a little sad: the potentiality that I'm not good enough to be that person for somebody. Good, but not good enough.
I'll put my head on the pillow tonight, be thankful for every thing I've been given materially and for all of the opportunities and get up tomorrow trying to be the person God would want me to be.
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