My baby brother turns 34 years old today.

He is so rad.
Totally awesome, actually.

He has been my best friend most my life.
My trusted advisor. My frequent collaborator. My constant inspiration.

Over a decade ago, he told a story.

He had just returned from the grocery store. As he collected his change from the checker and was headed towards his car. he saw that he wasn’t charged for one of his items.
What to do?
Go back and ask them to ring up the item? Or enjoy the free carton of eggs?

His answer: “I spoke up, politely pointed out the mistake, and paid for the eggs.”
A friend gave a little laugh and made fun of him.
He paused for a second and said, “When faced with a choice like that, I try to make the decision as if my future child was there watching me.”

I love that. Don’t look at the punishment or consequences…don’t look to external rules…simply think about the legacy of your choices.

***

Now, 10 years later, his “future child” is about to turn 1 year old.
And it is an absolute joy to see his philosophy in practice.

He is the man I admire most.
And he has grown into the father I admire most, too.

Happy Birthday, Baby Brother! Keep shining your light!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007 at 2:12 pm and is filed under Family. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.