From time to time people are called to do more. At home, in the workplace, or in a social situation, it is universally accepted that occasionally (some more than others) people are called to go the additional mile. This year I feel like I am a specific target.
I signed up for classes at the last minute, was called into coach junior high baseball a week before the season began, and at work I am doing more than I ever have before. For the first time, last week, I put together large sections of the Newspaper. My father has been urging me to begin taking over the reigns to learn to do his job so he wouldn’t have to work seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Don’t get me wrong, I love it. If I was still sitting at home all day and scratching my but not doing anything, I would be miserable. This summer shaping up to be just as hectic, if not more, as the previous couple months. I am slated to umpire more games than I ever have before, I’ll be umpiring almost every day of the week, and possibly every weekend. This is a paid job, but not one day of it feels like work. When I umpire I am overcome by the memories of my playing days and I enjoy every second.
In addition to my typical work obligations, I have taken up the paper route. Some of my readers may have seen me hurriedly rushing through my stops dropping off the newspapers and picking up the old ones.
Enough about me for one column. I write for the readers, not just my ego. There are far more people who need thanks for going above and beyond their normal responsibilities. One of those people writes for this paper, Mark Domeier. I don’t know how I could have gotten through those first few weeks of practice if it wasn’t for Mark. He always seems to be doing more than is asked of him and far too often it either goes unnoticed or unappreciated. Not today. Thank you Mr. D, you’ve done far more than people know and we all greatly appreciate it.
Have you ever wondered why those baseball fields in New Richland and Ellendale look so nice? It isn’t because of the snow the year before, that’s for sure. Drew Paukert and Domeier two of the reason’s they look so nice. Drew spent hours vacuuming up water off of Jeff and Carol Reese Field in order to play a Saturday baseball game. Mark pulled weeds, fixed a baseball mound, and raked the infield relentlessly into submission to make it playable. Without them, it wouldn’t matter how much yelling I do to make my kids play well, they just wouldn’t play.
Another person I would like to give a shoutout to, Reed Waller. If it wasn’t for him the paper would not be able to go out to you readers every week. His job is not easy and not always the most fun work. It’s hard and often is only noticed when he does something incorrectly. Reed is an exceptionally intelligent person and a great friend to have in the office everyday. The conversations aside, behind that beard is a good man who deserves a lot of thanks for his years of service to the NRHEG Star Eagle.
At this point, I would like to thank everyone who does more than they need to, although it may not always be noticed, it is appreciated, whether it’s obvious or not. My thought for the day is this, if you ever feel like giving a special shoutout of thanks to someone in your life, consider getting a thank you notice in the paper. It’s an easy way to show someone you notice them. Finally, I thank you, the readers, for continuing to give me a job!