I'm a BIG music buff and love not only listening to music, but the words mean a lot to me. One of my favorites written by Joe South in 1970 goes like this: "Walk a mile in my shoes, before you abuse, criticize and accuse. Walk a mile in my shoes. Well, your whole world you see around you is just a reflection, and the law of common says you're gonna reap just what you sow." This song was written before I was even born, but it stills holds true today.
Thinking about this song reminds me of a young cowboy, an inspiring story, and a story worth sharing. I wonder if we would walk a mile in this cowboy's shoes.
Recently, an 18 year old cowboy I know very well came home from a rodeo with cash earnings in his pocket from winning first place in his event. Mind you, he had been having a dry spell and his bank account was a little short on funds. Well, when he got home, he was in his room counting his cash from his winnings and realized they paid him $100 too much. He told his dad about the extra one hundred dollar bill he counted. His dad thought maybe first place paid more than he thought it did. The cowboy insisted that he knew what it was supposed to pay and was overpaid. He immediately got on his phone and called the person that put the rodeo on. Needless to say, the man on the other end of the phone was very surprised that someone would call about being OVERPAID. After all, there are many cowboys that win and get paid in cash, so no one would have ever known about the extra cash.
The man who put the rodeo on told this young cowboy how much he appreciated his honesty and that one in one hundred would have made that phone call. The man told the cowboy that he wanted him to keep the extra one hundred dollars and thanked him again for the character he had shown.
Not only does this story hold significance for me because it's a great story, but it also means a lot to me because the young cowboy in this story is my son. I am proud of him for winning that rodeo, but I am most proud of him for being a shining example of integrity and honesty.
If an 18 year old cowboy can show this kind of character, we could all put on his boots and learn a thing or two.
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