As a child I remember a PSA that featured an Native American Indian canoeing & walking through the landscape of America that was spilling over with trash. A tear rolls down his face as he sees this once prestine landscape covered in pollution. It was part of a campaign to Keep America Beautiful.
It reminded me . . .
My father used to take me camping with a church group called the “Royal Rangers” it was a Boy Scout type club that was connected to our church. They did many of things that the Scouts would do such as learning life skills, earn badges and enjoy the outdoors. It was there my father taught me a principle that has followed me throughout my life and become my personal statement of purpose.
He said, “Always leave the campgrounds’ better than you found them.”
How do we leave things & people better?
- Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.
- Don’t ignore what shouldn’t be there.
- Do see what could & should be.
- Take a moment to leave the place or person better.
The best way to Keep America Beatiful is to not just leave the landscape cleaner but to leave the people we meet better than we found them. To this day, this is the motto by which I have patterned my life, my family & my career. I want to leave people & places in a better state than when I got there.
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