Ripples on the Pond of Life

“老家伙”在这个行业,我经常发现myself marveling at all the great new ways we have now to communicate, like this blog, Face Book, and Twitter to name a few. It is so easy to stay in touch and even reconnect with long lost friends and relatives. So the other day one of those old friends texted to let me know a mutual former co-worker and friend was retiring after 25 years of service, to move on and start a second career. I went online and saw he had posted pictures of his last day on duty with his crew. He spoke of how fast the time had went and how he was grateful for the opportunity to have served with and for such amazing people, and how he had the opportunity to mentor and share with his brothers and sisters and how positively his life had been impacted by his service to his community. Wanting to send my congratulations for a job well done and praise him on a big milestone in his life, I decided to call instead of write a response.

当他接电话并发现是谁时，他立即变得非常兴奋，并说他很高兴我打电话给我，因为他需要感谢我为他所做的一切。在这一点上，我感到非常困惑，并解释说，我有点困惑，因为我们实际上已经20多年了。他沉默了一分钟，我可以告诉他他试图为了讲话而努力。然后他问我是否记得我们第一次见面。我有点尴尬，因为我不得不承认自己没有。“那是在EMT课程中。您进来协助实践技能日。”

我仍然不记得，但我说“哦”，所以他继续说：“你进来的那一天，我很灰心，正在认真考虑辞职并放弃我的梦想，因为我觉得我只是没有削减去做这件事。”现在，我在大脑中争先恐后地努力记住，但是老年显然使我失去了这种记忆。他继续说：“您与我们的小组坐下来，介绍了我们正在练习的东西。然后您解释了它并再次证明了它。您显然看到我真的很挣扎，因为您将我带到一边，基本上告诉我放松一下，并且在结束之前，上课时，你会让我做这个盲人。”现在，我真的很回去踩踏板，迫切希望回想起这个故事。“如果不是给你的话，我会辞职，退出计划，从未实现我所生活的梦想。”现在轮到我cho住了。我的生活记得对这位绅士产生这种影响，但他生动地做到了。

Now I am telling this not to brag, or pat myself on the back, but to merely show the impact our words and actions, no matter how inconsequential they may be to us, can have on another. Here was a guy telling me that by being kind and caring and letting him know he could and would be successful made an impact that would be felt over the next 30 years. Like a rock thrown into a pond, the ripples were proceeding outward, and in so doing, impacting others as well. He told me how he had also become an Instructor and how he loved mentoring and teaching new folks and encouraging them just as I had encouraged him. Merely by positively impacting one life, how many other lives were affected in a positive way over those 30 years? As I pondered that thought, he said "I am so glad you called. I have always wanted to tell you what that meant." Mind Blown...

作为高级消防员，作为公司官员或首席执行官，总是花时间指导，鼓励，教导和赞美您的同龄人，尤其是那些新手的人。花时间教他们他们需要知道的事情，以使其在接下来的20 - 25年中。鼓励他们以正确的方式做到这一点，并坚持我们非常幸运的标准和同志。启动自己的涟漪，看着它传播。请记住，您现在说的那些负面的事情也可以以更加险恶的方式产生相同的效果。最近的情况，你们中的许多人肯定很熟悉，其中匿名说并发布到公共论坛上，可能为我们自己的一生做出了贡献。请花时间思考您的言语和行动。对您周围的生活产生积极影响。保持安全的兄弟姐妹。