Inspirational story puts it all in perspective

Our local high school football team, the Columbia Central Lions, played in the 5A State Championship game last night and won, , , first time in 58 years. It was a huge accomplishment after losing in the finals with last year’s team, but it was not the real story of the day.

I should point out that I’m not really a Columbia Central fan and haven’t been to any of their games, , , and knew very little about the football team other than that they had a good one. But something drew me to them as I surfed through the TV channels last night and saw they were about to play in the State Championship Game.

As I began to watch, I learned about Dylan Rebeor and his story. He was 16 and a member of the Central Lions football team.  Dylan passed away that very morning from colon cancer complications.

Maybe it was compelling because he was 16 and that’s the same age we almost lost our son, Eddie, from an automobile accident. We were fortunate.

Dylan attended all the games this season he could even though his health and strength kept declining. He was barely able to attend last week’s semifinal game and continued to do anything he could to be part of the team and support his teammates. To say he was an inspiration to his team and community is an understatement.

Yesterday morning on the day of the big game and in a weakened state, Dylan asked his Mother if his grandmother was with them.   She told him to “Go be with her if you want to”. You see, his grandmother was no longer living.

He asked one more question, “Did we win the game?”

Her answer was simply, “Yes, we won the game.” It was soon after that moment Dylan passed away.

Well, Columbia Central did eventually win the game later that night and became State Champions.  Dylan wasn’t at the game physically, but you could tell everyone believed he was with them, , , doing everything he could do to help his team.

How does this tie to IT management?

It comes back to my personal perspective of things. As I mentioned, we almost lost our son at 16 in 1993. It was one of the toughest times a parent can go through, so I understand a little about what Dylan’s parents dealt with over the last 9 months.

These situations also help you grow, albeit painfully. Now, when I have a difficult situation, it’s easier for me to understand that there are far worse things that could happen. Dealing with a problem employee, working with an unappreciative client, or even being nervous about the big presentation you have to deliver, , , they are trivial in the big picture of things, , , and certainly not life and death situations.

Even in our most difficult moments with Eddie’s recovery, we didn’t have to look very far to see people and other parents who had far worse situations to deal with. Eddie still has his challenges, but you know what, , , we all have our challenges. His issues and challenges are unique to him just as your challenges are unique to you. It’s all about how we deal with them and become a stronger person in the process.

So, the next time you have to handle a difficult situation, put it into perspective. It may still be difficult but maybe not so stressful when you have it in context with your life and what’s truly important.