Little Things Count Most

Earlier tonight, Jenn and I attended our fourth prom. The first two were our own, and the most recent two have been for my school. Although she was accompanying me to help supervise the dance, I still treated it as if I was courting her in high school. I'm a romantic like that.

That evening, I made sure that my car was shiny and sparkly, that I was dressed for the occasion, and as I did often in my youth, I wanted to impress her. We had a fancy dinner, great conversation, photographs, the works. After we arrived at the event, we made our rounds exchanging greetings and introductions with other staff, students, and their dates. Afterwards, we sat at a table with a clear view of the dance floor so that we could fulfill our roles well, and still have an opportunity to dance if the right song began to play.

Needless to say, she was impressed.

How did I know? Well, she told me. While we sat there, enjoying the music, having conversations with students and their dates, and smiling as the students danced the evening away, she leaned over and said:

"Your students show you more respect than my college students do."

This is a moment of realization for me; a time when I appreciate her even more because as my partner and equal, she's taught me through her own perceptions what really matters.

It wasn't my haircut, tuxedo, or the car. The fancy dinner was nice, but it didn't have to be there. It wasn't even about the perfect table or the music. She noticed how respectful the students were. It was a gentle reminder of the two most important lessons that we teach in our intro lessons: discipline and respect. She noticed that they were acting like young adults and not children, able to fully enjoy the moment and immerse themselves in a celebration of another rite of passage in their lives without incident.

That's what stood out to her that night: when we walked in, students immediately looked over and from across the room, you could hear, "Hey, Mr.G's here!", and "Hi, Mr.G! It's good to see you here!" amidst a collection of handshakes, polite greetings, and enthusiastic hugs from young men and women. Much like Jenn, the students didn't need anything fancy from me - they were just happy that I was there.

Such simple little things:
...a polite greeting,
...a handshake,
...a hug,
...sharing company.

And they mean everything.