Chapter 31
Game Day
It was Friday. Game day. Less than two weeks ago George had thought this day would be the end of his career at the NRG Company. Now he hoped it was a new beginning and a new opportunity that would allow him to share all the principles he had learned on the Energy Bus. He should have been tired but he wasn’t. His wife had given him a big kiss as he left the house and he felt good knowing that no matter what happened at work their marriage was back on track. The kids were responding really well to his love and positive reinforcement and even the dog was enjoying being pet more. They might be poor if he lost his job but at least they would all be together. He had been thrilled when his wife had asked him the other night what he had done with the grumpy old George and he had given her a big hug when she said, “It feels like I’m meeting the man I fell in love with all over again. I don’t know where you have been but I’m glad you are back.”
I am back, he thought, as he sat on his usual bench waiting for Joy’s bus and I certainly don’t ever want to go back to the places I’ve been. He couldn’t imagine that happening, though. Joy had infected him with the positive energy bug and he would do whatever it took to keep that energy flowing.
George looked at his watch and noticed the bus was a little late. He was looking forward to seeing Joy, Jack, Marty, and the other passengers one last time. His car would be ready today after work and if by chance he still had his job, he would drive from now on to save time and bus fare. He hadn’t thought of it before but it suddenly occurred to him that today would be his last day on the Energy Bus. As he thought about how much he would miss everyone, even Marty, Joy’s bus arrived and stopped to pick him up one last time.
When the doors opened a man walked out repeating to himself, but loud enough for others to overhear, “Too blessed to be stressed.” The man turned around and shouted, “Thanks, Joy!”
“Don’t forget, too blessed to be stressed!” Joy shouted back.
Another energy convert, George thought, as he smiled and walked on the bus only to be greeted by loud applause from all the passengers.
“We all know today’s the day, George, and we just want you to know we’re behind you and sending positive energy your way today,” Joy said.
George thanked her, Jack, and Marty for the letter and he thanked all the energy bus passengers for their support over the past two weeks. He told them about the team’s incredible day and night at work yesterday and how rule #9 had made all the difference. “Thank you for being my energy team!” he shouted to everyone.
“So how you feeling today, Sugar?” Joy asked in a motherly tone.
“I’m feeling good. The team is ready. I’m ready. Nervous of course but who wouldn’t be?”
“That’s right, George. Who wouldn’t be nervous? It’s a sign of fear. We all have fear but the key to success is that your trust is bigger than your fear. A little fear is good but it is weak energy. It runs out. Trust is the high octane fuel that will take your bus wherever it needs to go.”
“I like that,” George said knowing that trust was a theme that had kept coming up in his life.
“It’s like I was telling the gentleman who just got off the bus. All of us focus so much on what stresses us that we forget all the things we got to be thankful for. So when you head into that meeting today don’t be stressed. Instead feel blessed. Be thankful you had this job all these years while so many are unemployed. Be thankful you have a supportive team and a family. Even be thankful that you can walk and talk. If you really started counting your blessings you would realize that they are greater than the stars in the sky. When you feel blessed you don’t have time to be stressed. And this feeling of gratitude will fuel your performance today. It will lift you up and carry you over the finish line.”
George looked around the bus and noticed that everyone was intently listening to Joy, soaking up every word. They loved her as much as he did. He noticed an elderly gentleman sitting in the middle of the bus whom he hadn’t seen before. The man was thin and wore a hat and glasses. He had one of those wrinkled faces you find in elderly people that could tell you about the places they have been, the things they have seen, the lives they have lived, and the lessons they have learned if you would only take the time to listen to them. The man had a sparkle in his eye that lit up when he made eye contact with George. George acknowledged him and the man lifted his hat and nodded with a greeting in return.
Yup, Joy thought, as she watched the interaction in her rearview mirror. The right people certainly come on our bus at the right time just when we need them.
“I’d like you to meet Eddy,” she said directing George to the elderly gentleman. “Eddy and I met at the home where my father lives. Eddy’s wife also had Alzheimer’s and we met at the facility. Unfortunately Eddy’s wife passed on and he had a real rough time with it. But after a year of mourning he’s now living his life again and I’d say he has more energy and is busier than most twenty-year-olds I know. Tell him how old you are, Eddy.”
“Eighty-eight,” he replied.
“That’s right, George, eighty-eight and he plays the piano daily, writes poetry, travels the country by train visiting relatives, and takes my bus when he’s home to meet new people, go to new places and do new things. Eddy has taught me the secret to life and it is this: The goal in life is to live young, have fun, and arrive at your final destination as late as possible, with a smile on your face. It is such a powerful lesson and has made such a difference in my life I made it rule #10. Show him, Danny.
Rule #10
Have Fun and Enjoy the Ride.
“And you know what the final destination I’m talking about is, right, George? No one can escape it. We’re all going there. But the important thing is how much we enjoy the ride until we get there. After all, we only have one life and one ride. This is not like Disney Land. We only get one ride so we might as well enjoy it to the max.
“Too many people think they are going to live forever. They spend their life accumulating wealth, possessions, and power only to leave it all when their bus ride is over. It’s not like you can take it with you. So what’s all the fuss about? Too many people stress over too many meaningless things. People get all protective of their turf. Just watch the news. Even countries argue over borders. If people only woke up they’d realize the whole universe is their home. Why fight over small pieces of territory when you can claim the universe as yours? Any moment they can have it all by simply enjoying the ride, but instead people focus on the small instead of living large. They worry about promotions, deadlines, e-mails, and argue with co-workers and family members about the minutest things forgetting that they will never see today again.
“Their bus is going through life but they are blind to the beauty around them. Think about it. The day you die you will still have 30 or 40 e-mails in your in-box that will not be answered. You’ll never get it all done so you might as well relax, take a deep breath, and enjoy the ride. Tell him about that study of ninety-five-year-olds, Marty.”
Marty perked up. “I love this study. They asked a bunch of ninety-five-year-olds, I don’t know where they found them all, Florida I guess, but anyway they asked them if they could do it all over again and live their life again what would they do differently. The three things that almost all of them said were: (1) They would reflect more. Enjoy more moments. More sunrises and sunsets. More moments of joy. (2) They would take more risks and chances. Life is too short not to go for it. (3) They would have left a legacy. Something that would live on after they die.
“So you see what I’m saying, George. Learn from Eddy here. Learn from the ninety-five-year-olds. Don’t go through life with regrets. Don’t be someone who looks back and says I should have done this or that. Live and work like you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Act like a kid on Christmas morning that is always optimistic and excited about the gifts you are receiving. Don’t be too stressed to feel blessed. Don’t compare the success of your bus to other buses. Just enjoy your ride. You go into that presentation today and you step on that gas pedal, have fun, and go for it. And when you blow them away and they sing your praises you just continue to live and work each day with purpose and joy. And that’s easy to remember because all you got to do is remember me, the ultimate Joy.” Then she looked up, laughed and said, “I know, God. Sometimes I can get a little too big for my britches.”
Then as the energy bus approached George’s office building she turned to George, who was quietly saving his voice for the presentation, and told him, “And when it comes to legacies remember this: The best legacy you could leave is not some building that is named after you or a piece of jewelry but rather a world that has been impacted and touched by your presence, your joy, and your positive actions.”
The bus stopped and before George could get off the bus the passengers came forward to give him high fives, handshakes, and hugs. Jack handed George his business card and asked that George call him to let him know how the presentation had gone, since everyone on the bus would want to know. Of course Joy gave him the biggest hug of all and as George walked off the bus, she stood from the top of the stairs and said, “Today is your day, George. And this is your life. You came on my bus for a reason, like I told you. That reason is today and every day after.”
George walked into the building thinking that this could be the last time he’d walk through these doors as an employee of the NRG Company or it could be his first day on the job as the Chief Energy Officer. In less than two hours he would know his fate, but regardless of the outcome he believed his bus was headed in the right direction and he was ready to enjoy the rest of his ride.
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