|
|
|
|
by Louellen Coker, 1st VP
As you may or may not know, when I am not neck deep in the responsibilities of my business, contributing what I can to the Lone Star Community, or sailing around Lake Texoma, I run, and run, and run, … and run. I run mostly because I want to, because I get good returns for my investment, and because I plan to run the Lisbon Marathon on December 5, 2004.
As I have put in my miles this last summer, I have come to learn about the community I live in as well as developed an understanding of my involvement in the Lone Star Community. (You would be amazed at the things you think of as you run for extended periods of time!)
My little town, Aubrey (north), has just about as many residents as the Lone Star Community has members. I am astounded with the similarities of my interaction within these two different communities. Last year I left the Dallas workforce to open my own business in Denton and made the conscious decision that I will be a part of my community. Becoming a part of my community offered me innumerable rewards.
When I first started running around Aubrey two years ago, while I enjoyed the scenery and the quiet roads, I quickly grew tired of what I thought Aubrey had to offer. I would complain to my friends that there wasn't much variety available, the people weren't very friendly, and it took a whole lot of effort into getting minimal return. (Anyone heard that before?) I would give up running in my neighborhood within a month and head for the snazzier trails in Dallas.
This time around (this is marathon number three) has been different. It took a few weeks, but I have become a part of my community. A community in which the elderly cross to my side of the street to offer a toothless grin and a "high five," a community in which people now take a break from shooting (with a pellet gun) the squirrels in their pecan trees to wave and offer words of encouragement, and a community in which even the kids follow me around on their bicycles showing me their tricks and trying to figure me out.
I've now found the inroads of my community and look forward to my runs and the people I encounter along the way. With each interaction, my mind is diverted from the task at hand, and I can't help but smile and enjoy the enrichment my community gives me. The days I interact with my community always result in a great run! The days my path doesn't cross the paths of others in my community, while still good and rewarding, are not quite the same.
I find myself laughing. By simply putting myself out there, letting my community know that I wanted to be a part of it, and becoming a part of my community I have a sneaky suspicion that those I encounter are rewarded by my presence. If nothing else, the elderly man takes stronger steps, the lady in the wheelchair is able to lift her garage door by herself to wave at me, and the list goes on.
My involvement with the Lone Star Community has been much the same. I find that, while rewarding in and of itself, my career is even more fulfilling because of the people I have come to know and love as a contributing member of this particular community. Just as I know there are people who look out for me as I run through Aubrey, I have a network of colleagues who look out for me within the Lone Star Community.
The moral of the story: to reap the rewards of any community, you have to take steps to be a part of it. I hope our paths will cross this year as the Lone Star Community grows richer and stronger.