Sometimes, lucky times, rare times, you meet someone who has a positive impact on you from the very first hello.
Sometimes this encounter can take place when you read about a special person. Such was the case for me recently thanks to my dear friend, and a former sportswriter for The Star, Rhiannon Potkey, who wrote an online feature story titled, “Hello World: 16-Year-Old Leaves Lasting Impact.”
Truth be told, Rhi, who now lives in Knoxville, Tenn., is herself a special person with a gift for making an immediate impact at hello – and is also leaving a lasting impact through her nonprofit “Goods4Greatness” that provides sports equipment and athletic opportunities to disadvantaged youth nationwide.
In addition to passing out brand new equipment, G4G also redistributes top-of-the-line slightly used sports paraphernalia donated by NCAA athletes and programs, from tennis rackets and golf clubs to baseball gloves and bats to soccer cleats and running shoes.
Receiving game-played gear that belonged to athletic heroes they dream of following in the footsteps of is surely a grander thrill for these kids than getting a famous autograph. Likewise, what a magical feeling for college athletes to be able to help kids in need. But G4G (goods4greatness.org – one of my very favorite charities to donate to) is a full column for another time.
Back to Rhi’s story about Albert “David” Filer V. A standout junior tennis player, David died in March at the tender age of 16 following a year-long battle with Glioblastoma Multiforme, a heinous collection of syllables that simply put is a heartlessly aggressive form of brain cancer.
It is not how David died, however, that will have a lasting impact but rather how he lived. What especially touched me is something his mother shared about her only child, about how one morning when David was 7 she went upstairs to his bedroom to wake him. Rhi writes:
“David was stretching and yawning and still seemed tired, so Pam Mozdzierz-Filer asked him if he wanted to sleep a bit longer.
“He responded: ‘No mom, I’m a hello world kind of guy.’
“A quizzical look crossed Mozdzierz-Filer’s face. She had never heard that phrase before. She wondered where it came from.
“David explained to his mom that from the moment he opens his eyes each morning, he just wants to get out of bed and be with people. He doesn’t want to miss out on anything.
“ ‘I was amazed at my son’s understanding of the world,’ Mozdzierz-Filer said. ‘At 7-8 years old, he understood that each day of life was to be embraced and that is how he lived.’”
What a remarkable attitude, what a wise old teenage soul, what an inspiring mantra to live by.
Those who know me know that I pretty much wear out quoting my favorite maxim of John Wooden’s 7-Point Creed – “Make each day your masterpiece.” And so David’s personal one-point creed has hugged my heart. What better way to begin making each new day a masterpiece than by opening ones eyes, yawning and stretching, and greeting the morning as a “hello world kind of guy” or gal?
Count me in as someone who feels David’s impact since reading Rhi’s long story about his too-short life. Indeed, I now make a point of literally saying to myself upon waking each morning, “Hello world.”
Do me a favor – no, do yourself a favor – and tomorrow morning when you awaken try it yourself. I am quite certain you will join David’s growing legacy and be inspired to make the rest of the day your masterpiece.
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Essay copyrights Woody Woodburn
Woody writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @woodywoodburn. His SIGNED books are available at www.WoodyWoodburn.com.
