A Letter To Kyle and Carson

byDubbedWrite

252 followers

11 years ago

My husband has done four marathons already, the last being the Boston Marathon which he qualified for with flying colors.

After the bombing at last years Boston Marathon, it was very emotional for him (which I was surprised about because he is usually all business when he runs-no matter what is going on in the world or his life) and he didn't do as well as he thought he would do.

His runs keep him sane in this crazy world where it can be downright scary to raise four children and please and support the love of his life.

Last Saturday he went on a short 3 mile run and 2 1/2 miles into it he passed out. He doesn't remember it happening or where exactly he was when he crumpled to the ground and smacked his head on the pavement. It's never happened to him before. He's done dozens of long runs (15-20 miles is what I would call a long run.) with no problem.

To his great surprise and confusion he suddenly awoke in an ambulance, to an EMT's proddings (thank you EMT) and screaming sirens, all around his dizzy, injured head.

His repeated request was that someone tell his kids where he is. Someone get in touch with his kids, they will wonder and worry what happened to their Dad.

It was over an hour later that I got a call at work from the hospital and (shaking but putting on a positive persona) was able to call the kids at home. My fourteen year old didn't believe me, thought (probably hoped) dad was playing another prank , until I asked my 12 year old to put her on the phone. Her mind did not want to entertain at that moment that Mom is not the prankster. Mom is always the extinguisher of such themed pranks, and usually those types of pranks are aimed at All-Boy-Raiser Grandma (the poor woman.) and not her. Some would say I'm the killjoy, some that is, except for my mother-in-law. This may be one reason why we get along.

He has a pretty bad concussion with all the usual awful and sometimes messy side effects, but yesterday was feeling a lot better than he was the first three days. Most of the day he was able to keep his food where it belonged.

Against my verbalized worries, due to his work ethic, and responsibilities upon his shoulders, he is returning to work today.

So maybe I've got the tiniest bit of your heartstrings within my grasps?

Kyle and Carson, what you have created here is an unusual company.

I think you already know that-but, please, never let it get out of your sights, your minds and your hearts.

Never take for granted the human side of the the non-monetary goals that you have reached through it, like so many companies do.

Many of us live in a world where people hide behind corporations and take no responsibility, no care for their fellow humans.

Many CEO's, President's, and Founder's get tired and want to retire early in comfort. I know I would want to.

But then I would think of my husbands recent ordeal and of all the people out there who are dealing with worse.

We are people, not robots, and we need other people. We need companies who are run by people who care about us, like you do. Ones that don't care more about the almighty buck.

We need leaders, who when they are in a hospital bed themselves someday, can imagine or remember what it would be like if they didn't have all that money.

Someone who would remember that life should be about enjoying one another and not spent jumping through all the hoops companies and governments have set up for us in the interest of gaining power and control over others, and expanding their bottom lines.

These precious hours we waste on paperwork, keeping up with the Jones's, waiting in line to register an automobile, reading and deciphering the "fine print," figuring out which of the 50 departments you really need to speak with to get done what they told you to do.

Why do we do it. Why do we play this game with our precious hours?

We need companies and governments with leaders who have a conscience, and dare I say it-who love us, or at least realize if they dealt with us every day they may come to love and care for us. It is a small world, leaders, a small world.

We need leaders like you, Kyle and Carson, who don't want to rob other people of their precious time on this earth.

In the end you will decide you did or you didn't care.

In the very end you will decide if you did the right thing.