The Bubble Gum Guy
“I truly believe that the privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.” – Viola Davis
My wife and I were driving back from Waco to San Antonio this past Saturday after watching the Antonian High School Silver Dancers win the TAPPS State Title!
Our daughter, Helena, made the team as a freshman, and we are proud of the hard work the players, coaches, and parents put into the program. It’s a beautiful operation!
On the way home, we smartly decided to take the toll road that allows us to circle around Austin, and thereby bypassing this part of I-35, which goes right through the heart of Austin. For those of you who know the traffic situation in our state capital, you are aware that it is far better to drive around it than through it.
The Bubble Gum Guy
As we circled Austin on Texas 130, which is the toll road, I searched on our Sirius XM Radio for the NFL football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers.
Given it is a playoff game, and the only NFL matchup during this time, it was an easy find.
Somewhere along the way, a comment by one of the announcers grabbed my attention:
“I don’t know if you know, but Pete Carroll [head coach of the Seahawks] only chews gum during games. He never chews any gum away from the game. And, you may not know that he has one guy assigned to provide him gum during the game!”
Let me see if I got this right … the Seahawks value Coach Carroll’s gum chewing so much that one person was hired specifically to handle this requirement.
I can only imagine the interview process …
“So, Mike, welcome to the NFL! We are glad that you have joined our coaching team. After an intensive search and interview process, we believe you are the most qualified person to provide 15+ sticks of Bubble Yum to Pete Carroll during the game. The last guy we had in charge of this bubble gum job has moved on to another NFL squad where he is now handling the catering division. The point I am making here is that there is plenty of room for advancement. Now, let’s move on to your salary and benefits.”
Okay … I am partly joking here with my example. I’m sure that providing chewing gum to Coach Carroll is but one of the responsibilities charged to this individual. Yet … it does seem a little silly.
Why can’t Coach Carroll do what the rest of us do and store the gum in his pocket?
The Point
The more I think about it, there is no real point beyond what I already wrote here.
I guess it does make sense that a coach is so busy during the game that he can forget to place a fresh piece of gum in his mouth. Without the frequent feed of new gum, he might just be less prepared to call the right plays.
As we arrived at the house after the 3-hour drive from Waco, I stepped out of the car, only to realize there was trash that I needed to clear from it.
I’m proud to share with you that I did it all by myself!
Inspirational Quotes
“Rank does not confer privilege or give power. It imposes responsibility.” – Peter Drucker
“Being the captain is a great privilege and a responsibility to lead a great group with different cultures.” – Sergio Ramos
Homework Inquiry
During the next week, here’s your homework inquiry: How will you use your privileges to help others?