|
|
Doing good deedsHave you ever done something for someone in a manner that was selfless? Did it make you feel good or feel foolish? I struggle with how to be helpful to my fellow man without being self-serving in my actions or my expectations. I have seen good expressions of human kindness and some that were misguided. I wonder about the motivation behind what seems simple on the outside but so complicated from within. Recently I met a man who is dedicating his retirement years to writing stories of his life and assisting others in improving theirs. He starts his days early so that time won't get away from him, in what he says will be his final decade. Although he has to stay hooked up to oxygen, he is active and adventurous, driving his truck through the countryside in search of old barns and silos that bring back the memories of his youth. I rode with him a couple of weeks ago and photographed the old structures that are melting into the countryside or being bulldozed to make way for metropolitan expansion. He clearly has fervor for life, and told me what he's trying to do for a man who came to his door, whom he now calls Friday. Friday, as my friend describes him, is a guy we all know: a person who can't keep their life together enough to pay the rent or maintain a relationship. He's not dumb or lazy, just a person who has made such bad decisions that they cost him his marriage, his home and his dignity. He appeared on the doorstep, looking for work--hence the name Friday. He has become the physical extension of a frail man who has a heart big enough for both of them. Friday started in the basement with the task of cleaning out years of storage. He showed great skill in loading and packing a truck and getting the cherished mementos, turned refuse, to the dump. He got the truck back on time and was paid. Both men had a good day but it didn't end there. More jobs were found and lawn work was included, so Friday showed up on a regular basis and revealed his troubled life. My friend kept bailing him out of financial problems that would have shut off the lights or evicted him from his apartment. He spent the rest of the year working off the money that was already paid. Friday showed good mechanical ability; but, as winter came, the jobs ran out. So, my friend came up with an ingenious plan that shows his humanity in a way that few charities can match. He ran an ad in the Farm Bureau newspaper asking for donations of old bicycles for families that can't afford to buy one for their children. The response was almost overwhelming, and he set out in his truck to pick up 35 of them in the first few weeks. He went to a local bicycle shop and asked for help in restoring them to riding condition. The owner obliged and gave him a big discount on everything he bought. Friday took the project as his own, and set to work replacing tires and tubes along with sprockets and chains, cleaning and polishing a wreck and turning it into a treasure. He made contact with charities and offered to deliver the finished bikes for them to give away. The project was in need of money, so my friend ran another ad asking for small donations. Money came in, with some giving as much as $100, and the bike shop put a jar on the counter with the story of the project spreading to their customers and the community. Friday fixed up one adult size bike for himself. He found that there were quite a few women with children living in shelters. They told him they could get a job if they had transportation. Friday suggested that they expand the project to place more bikes with mothers in need. My friend never says how much he's staked the project but spends hours each day in search of more bikes and more people who can be helped. He's now trying to find enough money to include a helmet with each bicycle. This story is ongoing as he printed handyman flyers for Friday to distribute in the neighborhood and jobs are now popping up. People are paying more than he asks, as they seem to be delighted with his competency and kindness. Still living with minimal means, he works on the bicycles and stays close to the man who brought him back from the brink and looks after him like a parent. This could all end in tragedy. My friend is aware of the possible outcomes but he looked for good in himself, and others, and found it. He expanded his generosity to include those in his community and he became the net that caught a falling life and set it on a foundation that gave it balance and meaning. Can you be any more compassionate than that? Editor's Note: This is Ken Root's 35th year as an agricultural reporter. He grew up on a small farm in central Oklahoma and started his career as a vocational agriculture teacher. He worked in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri as a broadcaster and was the original host of AgriTalk. He has also been the executive director of the National AgriChemical Retailers Association in Washington, D.C. and the National Association of Farm Broadcasters in Kansas City. Ken is now the lead farm broadcaster at WHO and WMT Radio based in Des Moines, Iowa. He has been a columnist for HPJ and Midwest Ag Journal for eight years.
1
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2011. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
|
