Your Time Is Brief. Is Your Impact Great?

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I grew up in Hobbs, New Mexico, a small town in the southeast corner of the state. The nearest “city” is Midland, TX, home of George W. Bush and Baby Jessica’s well. There are many good people there, but I never liked it. I was ready to leave as soon as I could (and I did.)

Some of those amazing humans that called Hobbs home left lasting impressions on me, even though I have not seen many of them for years and have lived away from Hobbs longer than I lived there.

Ray Bailey was one of them and he taught me three important lessons.

Ray was my elementary school music teacher at Coronado Elementary School. Home of the fighting Cougars (the large cat, not the other kind of Cougar.)
Every week Ray would wheel his music cart into the room for 30 minutes. Ray didn’t really fit the mental picture of an elementary school music teacher. In his mid 40s, a bit slow in pace, but never sour or bad tempered. He had tons of patience. I am not sure his full story, but I imagine he could have easily had his own classroom and taught well.

But for some reason he narrowed his lane to music, and not high class choral music but elementary school music with a bunch of bratty fidgety kids.

LESSON: Find your lane and own it.

A few years later a mouthy 14 year old me enrolled in driver's ed. It was taught at New Mexico Jr. College and the teacher was none other than Mr. Ray Bailey!

In the time since I graduated from elementary school, He had left his music cart behind for a swank Oldsmobile Achieva and a classroom full of young teens who wanted nothing more than the freedom that came with a driver’s license.

We drove all over rural New Mexico, with him steadily teaching me the rules of the road.
On those long drives he shared tons of information that, in the 90s, had to be learned offline with intention. it wasn’t just some random drivel about the latest scores or politics, but real information that a nerd like me appreciated.

Example: Southern New Mexico has one of the largest scrub oak forests! This otherwise arid desert landscape was known to host a thriving FOREST! Also - buffalo wallow. I learned about that from Ray too. Google it - and know that Ray learned about it the old fashioned way.

LESSON: Be Inquisitive and be interested.

A few more years later and a rebellious 16 year old me was high school friends with Ray's daughter. One evening, while Ray and Mrs. Bailey were away, I brought a "drink" to their house.
Somehow when I left that evening, the container fell into the street where Ray found it.

Ray delivered the message that he was disappointed and expected more from me because he knew I could deliver more.

LESSON: Be Better.

Ray left his world a few years ago, and I hadn't seen him in well over 25 years before that, but those three lessons have stayed with me (also I am a damned good driver thanks to him, and cannot forget this song for over 40 years!)

In addition to these three lessons, the overarching message I received when thinking through these interactions was this:

Never forget that this blip of time you are given can be filled with high, life changing impact.

Find your lane and own it.
Be inquisitive and interested.
Be Better.

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Hey Raleigh/Cary, NC readers:

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