I went to bed last night all geared up to write an article that I felt must be written today. I woke up this morning to find there was something more important to be said and the original article could wait a day. The reason is pure and simple. There is not enough said about the acts of extreme acts of kindness performed by individuals who shun the limelight.
An example of opposites attracting.
This by all accounts is a story of two men who would be considered polar opposites. Former NFL football player Conrad Dobler and current pro golf champion Phil Mickelson. On the suface there is little that connects the men. Conrad Dobler a man once dubbed "The NFL's Dirtest Player" was a lineman who played from 1972 to 1977 for the Arizona Cardinals. He split his last four years in the league between the New Orleans Saints and the Buffalo Bills. Phil Mickelson nicknamed "Lefty" is a pro golfer and champion on the PGA tour. Mickelson born in 1970 spent part of his childhood living in Arizona. As far as anyone knows that is as close as the connection was until recently.
Comrades with little in common
Dobler seemed to life a charmed live after football. He acted in commercials and other venues. It appeared the man had it made. Fate wrote the story differently. The years of playing pro football took their toll and the former down and dirty grunt experienced the breakdown of his knees. Applying for the NFL disability pension he was turned down. He became one the many neglected retirees of the multi-billion dollar league. As I noted in my article, "War, Sports And The Absence of Accountability", he is one of the many warriors that played the game following orders only to be forgotten. Recent NFL Hall of Fame inductee Harry Carson referred to this atrocity in his Hall acceptance speech.
Conrad's story takes a painful turn for the worse. On the Fourth of July in 2001 his wife Joy had what for most would have been a simple accident. She fell out of her backyard hammock. Tragically, she broke her neck becoming a quadriplegic. With this event, the myth of Conrad Dobler's charmed life ended.
Mickelsen is a man of great talent with his sport playing as many others at this time in the shadow of golfing god, Tiger Woods. Upon hearing of the Dobler family's situation Phil Mikelsen through his agent volunteered to pay Holli 's, Conrad and Joy's daughter, college tuition. Up to this time, the Mickelsen and Dobler families have never met. Phil refuses to talk about his selfless action. So, I will.
Trancending my own prejudices.
I am not a golf fan. I love football but disliked Dobler as a player. I do recognize the difference between a sports or celebrity persona and a real person. I also recognize when people reach out to others in time of need greatness is born. Phil Mickelsen obviously is a man of tremendous humility and does not want to call attention to his act of kindness for all the right reasons. I am exploiting his selflessness out of selfishness.
My confession.
I admit I am using the Mickelsen-Dobler situation to make a point. The point is a theme I have long crusaded for throughout my life. People do not need to have a reason to reach out to others in need except because they want to. In my published story, "A Holiday Legacy", the theme was even when you have nothing you have something to give. As I wrote in "Giving A Celebrity Notice For What Everyday People Do?" lesser minded celebrities get more notice for lesser acts of humanity. This was an act of extreme selflessness. It is an example of the power of the heart to reach out to someone in a time of need. We can't all pay for the college tuitions of the "Holli Doblers" of the world, but we can give extend them a hand. What Phil Mickelsen did was not about having money. It was about having pride, heart, and a conscience.
In the same league on a different field of play
I came across a person who complained about the conditions he was forced to work in while performing a community service at a local shelter. In his rant he made it sound like he was complaining because he was forced to volunteer. As we communicated I discovered his complaint was not about the job but about what the so-called volunteers that came before him had left him with. His predecessors were careless and belligerent about their work performance. More than likely, they were people who volunteer to say they volunteer and not really do much of anything. My friend, who chooses to be anonymous, was left to do double the work. In fact, because of the prior crew he stayed longer to make sure the job was done right.
To my bear of a friend and to the Phil Mickelsen's of the world, I say thank you for giving us the opportunity to know of you. I thank you for your silent humility and for making the world a better place for someone else. I thank you for being a leader by example and not be the accolades your deeds might bring.
