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Every Day is Precious: Carry someone else's load
By ROB PAYNE
For Williamson A.M.
I've always been a pretty hard worker: I cut grass for money for my first car, worked at a KFC when I was 16 (when they were still called Kentucky Fried Chicken), worked my way through college and have worked ever since.
For the past eight years I have had the pleasure of working with a ten-person marketing group now called Locomotion Creative (www.LocomotionCreative.com).
I actually started college as a pre-med student, thinking I would be a psychiatrist. But during my first quarter of college I wondered if anyone would really want to see a ''Doctor Payne'' and questioned my ability to succeed. I figured, if my mind was on the marketing of my medicine instead of the labs I was supposed to be doing, maybe I should change my major.
As things turned out, it might have been helpful to spend a little more time in medicine.
Three years ago my wife, Marcy, was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and my focus turned away from my marketing work. With traditional medicine offering no hope and no help, Marcy and I researched and tried many new and unconventional things. Most of them took a great deal of time away from my job.
As Marcy's condition worsened, it took more time. I haven't given my job 100% for three years, maybe 50% for the last 18 months, and nothing at all for the last 9 months.
During my absence physical and mental the workers at Locomotion Creative did my work for me. They picked up my slack by conducting my meetings, making my phone calls and coming up with the ideas I should have had.
Every time I thanked them individually, each said it was the only thing they knew they could do that could help.
They felt the 10 could shoulder a burden better than one person alone.
They shouldered the burden longer than they should have. They gave me much more latitude than I could have ever have hoped, but finally, I had to leave.
It was the best job I've had so far, working with some of the finest people in this world. I thank them for letting me be part of their success.
As my last check from them comes today, I again think about how much they have helped and how much this could help another family in need.
If you know a family in need, consider contacting their employer and offering to help however you can. Work at home via e-mail, take piecework home, sweep floors, do whatever they will let you do.
It may not work out for you to do anything, or you may do something you don't feel is a tangible contribution to the employer's success. But even the offer of help will be a treasure in the heart of the employee in need.
Every Day Is Precious is a column to remind us to treat everyone we see today as if it could be the last time we see them. It is written by Rob Payne, whose wife, Marcy, was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) in August 2000. Now 40 years old, she has gone from winning 5 and 10K races to being quadriplegic and on a ventilator at home. For more ways to help others, to find more about Marcy, or to receive email updates on her condition, visit www.everydayisprecious.com. Readers may contribute to her care by sending donations to Every Day Is Precious, 2051 Harvington Drive, Franklin, TN 37069. If you have helped someone without being asked, or know of someone who has, share it with others. Send to rob@everydayisprecious.com or to Every Day Is Precious, 2051 Harvington Drive, Franklin, TN 37069.
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