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| Lake Tugalo, SC border |
All in all, this is a shout out of gratitude and appreciation to an individual who saw something in me and gave me a chance. Even when I wasn't sure that I was up to the task. I've always been the sort to seek out the approval of my elders and their wisdom as well. Who knew that I would get both from this man and then some.
He trained me for my current job and did his best to guide me in the correct direction while instilling in me values and ethics that are needed for the job. To this day he stresses that he's there for me even though I've been doing the job on my own for 3 years now. One of the things that stands out during that time of training and even to this day is the fact that he had a way of correcting me and also affirming when I was going in the right direction.
When I was screwing up he would refer to me as junior. For example, if I messed up something he'd say, "Junior, you f'd up!" He'd then laugh and correct me. He taught me hard and fast that it was ok to admit one's mistakes. Hell, there were a few times that he had me in tears.
When I did things that were good, he would say something along the lines of, "You did good there, son." It took me a while to catch on to his method. But once I did, I did my best to be sure the times he referred to me as "son" outnumbered the times he called me "junior."
Well today I called him up to update him on a couple of certifications that I have passed this past six months. I can't express the "feels" I got when he said, "I'm proud of you, son!"
I quickly acknowledge the fact that it's all because of him and his investing in my future that I am where I am today. And as a 44 year old man, I'm not ashamed to admit that.
I strive to pass ideals and ethics like that down to those who are younger than me. I don't always call them "sons or daughters", but I hope my actions convey that to them. It would be selfish and unwise for me not to do so.
