I came home from Paris today. After a nine hour and forty-eight minute flight, I had to catch Lyft home. My wife was busy and my truck is being repaired; so, I resorted to the convenience of that ride sharing company for a lift home. It was fortuitous and fast.
As luck would have it, I was assigned a driver that was a student at Kennesaw State University. Dessen is a twenty three year old Computer Science major in his last year of college. He uses Lyft to supplement his income and support his hobby and passion. He starts working at 0600 every morning and is finished by noon. He clears about one hundred dollars a day, which is currently enough to allow him to live his life style.
Dessen was born into a family of twelve kids. He was raised by a single mom He still tries to help her out and assist his sisters that live with her… the extra income he earns from driving helps him do that. He was one of the most amazing young men that I have met in a long time. In a world where so many youth are rebelling and demand something for nothing, Dessen is looking to give back. He works hard. He knows the value of a dollar and his attitude is amazing. It renewed my faith and gave me hope.
You see, Dessen’s passion is wrestling. He claimed it saved his life. Originally, he started out seeking to be a teacher and spent a few years chasing that dream. But he became disheartened with the current school system, its lack of discipline, and its softness. He couldn’t instruct or discipline the students as he felt they needed. He said he could not see himself being a baby sitter for thirty kids and their overbearing and overprotective parents. So, he switched to computer studies, which he loved. It was a way to follow his true goals…instructing today’s youth in wrestling and the mental lessons they gain from that sport. He said he would love to open a wrestling gym someday, and I have no doubt he will.
Why wrestling, I asked? His response was immediate. The sport is individual and makes you responsible for your own decisions. Unlike football or baseball, you cannot go fifty percent one play or pitch, loaf or daydream, but must go one hundred percent all the time. It makes you accountable. Your loss isn’t a team loss, but your own. You own the matt or your opposition owns you.
He said his first match in Junior High School was a disaster. He lost big time. In fact, he said he was crushed. But it lit a fire within him; he knew he wasn’t the stud he thought he was. He would have to man up, study up, and gain strength to compete, and he did. He went on the wrestle at the State Championship levels and built up his self esteem and confidence at the same time. He was focused and didn’t have time for other activities that landed his friends and cousins in jail. It saved his life.
As he drove, he further explained to me the benefits of his daily meditation practice; how slowing down and relaxing has allowed him to see more clearly. He has shared his practice with his younger sisters, of which he said they are appreciative. I could feel his calmness and his humble sense of worth.
I mentioned that I worked with the father of the World Champion Freestyle Wrestler, David Taylor. He couldn’t believe it. David, he said, is his hero. He has followed David and his accomplishments for a long, long time…since David wrestled at Penn State. He said he tried to pattern himself after David…humble, driven, and to give back to society. He admired his hero…a lot. I think Dessen has accomplished that goal of emulating his virtual mentor, for he too is inspiring..
So, out of pure luck, today I shared a ride with a man that gave me much more than I gave him. He gave me hope and inspiration. He taught me, once again, you cannot judge a book by its cover and that you can learn from everybody, no matter their walk of life. People are amazing and good can even found in the most unexpected places. Let’s all learn from Dessen, to be accountable, to believe in yourself and your own worth, and to slow down and not be so uptight. I believe we can all use those lessons.
Today was a good day.
Lawyair On The Run 