Ponderations

Posted 4/22/15

“The faster I go, the behinder I get,” said Maurice, a description aptly fitting the situations facing my friend a long time ago.

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Ponderations

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"The faster I go, the behinder I get," said Maurice, a description aptly fitting the situations facing my friend a long time ago. He owned and operated a small but busy retail store which offered hundreds, if not thousands, of gift items, and it was the height of his busiest season. I knew Maurice well and there were no lazy bones in him, he was simply feeling the exhaustion of long hours of restocking, selling, straightening, cleaning and doing everything else required to run a small business with a very limited number of employees.

As the seasons of the year changed, winter to spring, spring to summer, summer to fall, I observed Maurice working with his wife, each going about the business of carving out a living and quietly being the sort of citizens that built America. I have known, and continue to know, many people who daily focus on the tasks required to be successful. They rarely make headlines for their efforts. Many who directly benefit from their work do not even know them by name. Yet, without the small businesses and the sacrifices required to keep them going, our country would be so much less than it is.

All businesses, large and super large, medium and small, make up the heartbeat of our nation. Probably the largest portion of our citizens will agree. Yet, I think it is much too easy to overlook the hard, hard work of each individual required to keep the businesses operating so all of us can live our daily lives in a normal fashion.

Maurice was a really interesting person to me. He never said, "Look at me!" He always had a smile for everyone. He laughed a lot, listened to concerns of anyone who needed to vent their problems and cared about the wellbeing of just about everyone. Was he perfect? No. In fact, if he lived today, he would be the first to point out his flaws. But as I think back through the years, he stands out in my memory as a great example of what made this country great. He never received a medal for bravery. Fame was never his. All he ever did was tend to his work in his little corner of the world. You bet, I think he was a great All American man.

. 2015 Roy Faubion