March 16th, 2021A more excellent way...
Dan Clark learned a life lesson when she least expected it. Here’s her version of the story:
Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus.
Finally, there was only one other family between us and the ticket counter. This family made a big impression on me.
There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. The way they were dressed, you could tell they didn't have a lot of money, but their clothes were neat and clean.
The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns, animals, and all the acts they would be seeing that night. By their excitement you could sense they had never been to the circus before. It would be a highlight of their lives.
The father and mother were at the head of the pack standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband's hand, looking up at him as if to say, "You're my knight in shining armor." He was smiling and enjoying seeing his family happy.
The ticket lady asked the man how many tickets he wanted? He proudly responded, "I'd like to buy eight children's tickets and two adult tickets, so I can take my family to the circus." The ticket lady stated the price.
The man's wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, the man's lip began to quiver. Then he leaned a little closer and asked, "How much did you say?" The ticket lady again stated the price.
The man didn't have enough money. How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight kids that he didn't have enough money to take them to the circus?
Seeing what was going on, my dad reached into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill, and then dropped it on the ground. (We were not wealthy in any sense of the word!) My father bent down, picked up the $20 bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket."
The man understood what was going on. He wasn't begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking and embarrassing situation.
He looked straight into my dad's eyes, took my dad's hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied; "Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family."
My father and I went back to our car and drove home. The $20 that my dad gave away is what we were going to buy our own tickets with.
Although we didn't get to see the circus that night, we both felt a joy inside us that was far greater than seeing the circus could ever provide.
That day I learned the value to give.
The giver is bigger than the receiver. If you want to be large, larger than life, learn to Give. Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything.
The importance of giving, blessing others can never be over emphasized because there's always joy in giving. Learn to make someone happy by acts of giving.”
(from Everything Good in the World)
Giving is not a responsibility—it is a joy.
We talk a lot about “a more excellent way” as AsONE. We see it everyday in little things and in big things. It’s about choosing to let compassion, concern and the love for someone else be our guiding principle.
I’m writing this during what I hope to be the last leg of COVID. For more than a year the world was shut down. Businesses were forced to “pivot.” Men and women suddenly converted dining room tables to office space, back yards to gyms. Churches closed their doors, restaurants moved to take out only, hotels, trains, plane, museums, concerts… everything we knew as normal moved into a restricted zone. We were stuck at home. A whole new lexicon was created. For the first time we identified our “bubble,” and learned to “social distance.” “Zoom” became an everyday word without being linked to Mazda. Suddenly we were looking to “flatten the curve”, hoping for “herd immunity.”
And through it all mental health suffered. Anxiety levels increased. Uncertainty, loss of jobs, and isolation caused rising stress. Children became fearful.
What a perfect time to show care and compassion, even in the smallest ways.
AsONE is committed to reformation through compassion and love. We are focused on a more excellent way to caring for our family, our community and our world. We look for sustainable solutions to generational problems. We look for partners and investors who are on the same page.
There is a more excellent way.