This past weekend, my sister competed in the Women's Championship tournament of the Missouri State Bowling Association. As always, we took Mom.Now, picture this. Lunar Bowl. Hundreds of bowlers. Mom: 88, walker, macular degeneration. The only seating for bystanders? Barstools. Shoot. Me.
Enter Mike, the tournament director. He took one look at Mom, and moved into action. The next thing we knew, Mom had a comfy chair and was sitting down on the lanes with the bowlers. Breaking the rules for Mom, Mike said, was just "common sense."
Unfortunately, he's wrong. It's not common. In all the years we've taken Mom to the state tournament, Mike is the first person to help us find a comfortable spot where she could see the action. And he didn't stop there. He called the lanes where the tournament was to be held Sunday, and made similar arrangements.
Mike is a mensch. He's also a creative genius. He kept his eyes open for the unexpected. He took ownership when he didn't have to. He solved the problem, and shared his solution with a colleague. It's creativity at its best -- creativity that starts with a good heart.
The result? Even with her limited vision, Mom saw Eva bowl six great games Saturday night. And she relished every minute.
3 comments:
Yes Jan!
There're still "good" people somewhere on this earth... And of is Mike!
Have a great week!
Lots of love from Istanbul!
Sounds like he used common sense AND common courtesy! He definitely has the gift of hospitality.
There is a lot of good in the world -- it's just easy to miss it at times, given all the ugly.
Burcu: So good to hear from you!! We've missed our Istanbul buddy!
Leslie: You're right. There's something about good old-fashioned manners -- courtesy and hospitality make life better.
Post a Comment