We recently held our company picnic. We “Dynetechers” gather together in a relaxed, celebratory environment several times each year.
An incident took place at our picnic this year that was an inspiration to many of us and gave us an opportunity to reexamine our values and the values of those around us. I share it with you so that you can adapt it to your own personal lives.
We have a marvelous entertainment committee, and its members had planned a full day of activities for one and all. Among the activities for the smaller children was the annual Easter Egg Hunt (the picnic was held just before Easter).
To make it fair for the littlest people in our midst, the pre-schoolers got a bit of a head start in finding the candy-filled eggs. But nonetheless, one missed little girl seemed a step or two behind the others, and by the time the school-aged kids were allowed to start looking for eggs, the little girl still had not found any—i.e., any that she got to before others scoffed them up.
The little girl started to cry with frustration, and Shabazz, the son of one of our enrollment counselors, noticed. Within seconds of observing the scene, Shabazz solicited three other older children to form a protective barrier around a tree and then took four eggs from his own basket and placed them under the tree. He then went to the little girl and took her by the hand to his secret stash while the other boys prevented children from getting to the eggs.
The little girl found four eggs under that tree and was effervescent.
The thing that struck me immediately about Shabazz was his unselfishness and his willingness to share his eggs with the little girl.
However, there is a great deal more to the incident to share than his generous gesture.
First, Shabazz showed tremendous insight into human nature. Having decided that he wanted to share his eggs with the little girl, he could have simply given her four eggs. That probably would have made her stop crying, at least.
But Shabazz realized the value of her enjoying the moment of finding the eggs herself. Shabazz wanted the little girl to celebrate the hunt for all it was worth. With Shabazz’s assistance the little girl was able to be a full participant in the activity. She had the satisfaction of finding the eggs and making them hers. After all, the end game is the prize, but the joyfulness comes from the process.
Second, Shabazz probably could have completed the task on his own, but he decided to share the joy with others. He formed a team of likeminded children to assist him in making the little girl’s dream a reality. They all derived pleasure from seeing her afternoon turn from tears to delight.
Shabazz was generous, yes, but he also exhibited maturity and wisdom well beyond his years and, in some cases, well beyond what many adults reflect.
It’s something to think about. It’s the value of values. It makes our lives so much simpler… if we let it.
Original writing date: May 2003