The Tale of the Purple Elephant

This Christmas, I received one of the most meaningful gifts of all time.

Meaningful because it represented, for me, the things that I hold to be the most important in life.

On Christmas Eve night, while I was driving the streets of my small town trying to get my little Knight to fall asleep in the midst of his illness of coughing and fever...I stopped by my friend Sarah's house to give her the gift I bought her for Christmas.

She came to the car and sat with me for a few minutes and gave me this:

I cannot tell you what this meant to me.

Except to tell you the story.

Sarah is my friend, first and foremost.  She is the mother of 4 amazing kids.  She is priceless in so many ways.

She is also the owner of the CrossFit gym I belong to.

This makes her my coach on most evenings of the week.

Her youngest son is in Kindergarten and he has spent many, many days and evenings at the gym.  

I was a youngest child of parents who owned their own business.

I have loads of memories spending spare time and sick time and bored time at my parent's business.

I have watched Sarah's youngest son live this reality for the past 2 years.

In many ways, his life (and mine when I was his age), provides richness that many children never experience.  He (and I, once upon a time) gets to watch his parents work together in partnership.  He sees their work ethic and passion for people.  He gets a first hand account of what it means to provide for a family and the dedication and devotion that is required to sustain a business.  These things will not be lost on him.

But for today - as a Kindergarten boy - with more energy than hours in the day...

He doesn't always see this reality for what it is.

I've always tried to make an effort with him.

But I get lazy or distracted or busy.

I breeze into the gym to get my own workout done.  Refuel my own low tank.  And visit with adults.

I see him there and I am sad to admit that, sometimes, I've only said, 'hi" to him.

But many times, I stop and I ask him things.

It's important to love kids.

To show kids that they are important.

Sometimes he doesn't have time.  He is busy collecting rocks or swinging from a rope like a ninja.

But one day, 

It was magic.

We spent a long time talking.

He was in a phase of asking about favorites.  He pummeled me with questions about my favorites and he told me about his.  Favorite color, favorite animal, favorite food, favorite person, favorite number, favorite day, and on it went for a very long time.

I loved it.

He asked and listened.  

I asked him and listened.

When he asked me what my favorite animal was, I said, "elephant."

When he asked me what my favorite color was, I said, "purple."

We had to spend some time laughing about this because it turns out that he HATES purple.  But he didn't hold it against me for long.

What I didn't know, at the time...

Was,

He remembered my favorites.  

The conversation, in all it's silliness, was not lost on him - or me.

And he passed my favorites along to his mom.

And this Christmas,

The Purple Elephant came into my life.

It sits in my kitchen.  And each time I look at it, I smile. 

I think of what I believe to be important each time I see it.  

It reminds me to slow down.  

To look people in the eye, no matter their age.

To give everyone respect and time and attention.

And in the end, to love people.

Thank you, Caleb for teaching me an important lesson.