Mentor

So there I was...hanging midway on a line against the side of a 100 ft cliff.  With a push from my legs away from the rock wall I zipped down the line in long bounds until I found myself at the base of the canyon watching for the Tarantula spiders as my feet touched ground.  By the way, just a warning, they can jump.  There was my friend and mentor, Mike Murphy, as thrilled as I was at my first rappelling experience.  Mike was a bit older than me and we first met when I started working at a printing plant some 32 years ago.  As I progressed through my five year apprenticeship he eventually became my direct supervisor.  The first day I worked for him he walked me over to his desk and asked me to read a sign prominently displayed that said, "NO EXCUSES".  If there was a problem I would be expected to own that problem and to create a solution to it.  This was the first of many lessons he would teach me over the coming years.  Mike and I had one thing in common from the beginning, other than our strong Christian faith, and that was our risk taking.  We loved the adrenaline rush though I think he had a more refined methodical approach.  Mike flew helicopters and would take Kim and I up for rides but I would be the one hanging out the door to increase the excitement level.  We rode dirt bikes together pushing the limits to where one wrong move could make for a very bad day.  Off road four wheeling with our trucks and parachuting were done in our quest for pushing the envelope.  On the lighter side, Mike would rent a fixed wing airplane and we would fly from Missouri, with our wives, to a four star restaurant  in Arkansas for brunch.  I was thrilled to take the controls while in the air and turned them back over to Mike as he landed us on a grass runway along side the restaurant.  It seemed there was nothing this man couldn't do and he was always willing to teach.  He had a profound influence on my life.  Though already a driven person, he helped me to refine and focus my energies to accomplish more in less time and for the right reasons.  Thank you, Mike, for all the lessons and the example.  I'll do my best to pass it on.