This past weekend, the trophy wife and I ran the
Grasslands Marathon in Decatur, Texas.
This trail race was number 19 in our quest to
finish one 26.2 mile event in all 50 states.
Saturday’s sun warmed these LBJ National
Grasslands to 86 degrees and it was challenging
running the sandy trails in the mesquite underbrush.
Because our winter training was on the icy
streets of Laurel, we were ill-prepared for the
Texas heat.
The runner’s motto of “Death before DNF (Did
Not Finish)” inspired our less-than-stellar,
six-hour finish, but rather than dwelling on race
day sand, sweat and sun, this week’s point appeared
the evening before.
Druann and I removed sugar and flour from our
training table two years ago, so we traded the
traditional pre-race pasta dinner for a steak at
Sweetie Pie’s Ribeyes in downtown Decatur.
Around six o’clock, we stepped through their
front door and were immediately greeted by four high
school age employees.
They were polite, friendly and escorted us to
our table.
Very shortly, our server took our order and
delivered our bottle of wine.
The restaurant was busy and a dozen
college-age servers hustled between tables and not
once did I see the face of a staff member
illuminated by a smart phone.
We complimented our waitress and asked to
speak to the manager.
The manager stepped to our table and he was
the biggest human being I have ever seen.
Imagine the NBA’s Irish, superstar, Shaquille
O’Neal, wearing a polo shirt and Dockers for the
proper picture.
Expecting cranky customers, we complimented
him on his crew and he instantly warmed to our
conversation.
His Sweetie Pie’s Ribeyes ran like a
well-oiled machine.
In terms of work ethic, millennials, have
dutifully earned a bad reputation, but it is not
entirely their fault.
Telling them they are special since
pre-school, confusing their logic centers with
common core and destroying their imaginations with
smart phones and televisions has groomed them to
accept the progressive indoctrination that
mediocrity is the supreme ideal.
This is completely contrary to American
liberty and this brings me to my point.
If you hire young people, and you should,
turn them into little capitalists by teaching them
how to work.
Teach them the inherent value in hard work, a
job done to perfection and exceeding customer’s
expectations. The
young Texans were impressive, but there is no reason
youngsters elsewhere are any less trainable.
Attention prospective employers:
We are talking about the generation who will
be changing your bedding and monitoring your urinary
catheter when you are in a nursing home.
A little effort now could provide long-term
capital gains in your final days.
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