Random football fan

I’m sure you can think of a handful of people who are die hard sports fans. Shoot, Ben and Brody may be considered “die hard” Dolphins fans. A friend of mine, Josh Wyatt, is a diehard JMU Football fan. After one of our home football games this year, I was headed to the exit and I happened to know one of the ball boys on the field. We saw one another and spoke for a short time. As our conversation was coming to an end, he told me that I had inspired him to become more involved in the JMU community and gave me a JMU game ball as a little thank you. I accepted his gift and walked a couple of steps further only to find myself in front of Josh Wyatt. I will note that Josh was hammered drunk and had no clue who I was or what was going on. Having observed Josh over the years and knowing his undying love for JMU football, I decided that I would give him the ball I just received. I knew that the ball would mean so much more to him than it would ever mean to me. I also found some pleasure in the fact that he would never know who gave him the ball. I actually had to hand the ball to Josh’s friend who was helping Josh leave the stadium and that was it. We parted ways and I never really interacted with Josh again. I would see a Facebook post from Josh the next day thanking a “mystery person” for his new piece of JMU sports memorabilia.

Long story short, I gave a JMU football to a drunk guy. Does not sound all that wonderful when put that way and is not really an act of service but it stood out to me because it really made someone happy. Josh served the JMU student body during his undergraduate career as a key member of the Duke Club and was involved in other areas of campus. The one thing about Josh was his passion for life and his ability to share himself with the world around him. We should celebrate people like this and that is kind of what I tried to do by giving him this gift. My hope was that Josh would view the ball as a gift from JMU and somehow know that his contributions to the University had not gone unrecognized.

I continue to look for ways to honor those people around me that make a difference. It could be the colloquial conversation or someone that holds a door. No matter how big or how small, it is important that we celebrate the people that make a positive difference in our everyday lives. Most of the time a person will come up in conversation and we will say, “That is a great person.” Rarely do we actually tell the person that they are great or that they added to our day. It does not have to be in person or in a grandiose fashion. A simple note or some form acknowledgement will do. I believe that expressing gratitude is sometimes just as powerful as receiving it. I feel as if I am affirming the positivity in the world as opposed to consistently condemning the negatives. I feel hopeful and motivated to do more when I give or serve.

When I think about serving others I think about a responsibility that I have to contribute to the world around me. We each have a responsibility to serve because no one person lives in a vacuum totally void of human interaction. With this responsibility comes a pressure and that is where I think people fall off a little bit. I felt as though I had a responsibility to give Josh Wyatt that football because, in a weird way, I was able to affirm him as a person. Now that I’ve done this simple act, I now place a little bit of pressure on myself to replicate similar actions in the future. We can look for these opportunities openly and come up short. I think that the true test of character is when chance meets opportunity. Only then are we afforded the opportunity to transfer our beliefs into action and contribute to those around us.

I struggle with the concept of Random Acts of Service and have struggled since hearing Dr. Warner speak about the topic. I have come to the conclusion that any action done to benefit someone else is worthwhile and should be encouraged regardless of what society thinks.