Sunday Night With John: That's Was One Cold Tear

That Was One Cold Tear

John Paul Derryberry

It's hard to find proof in life that you are successful. It's hard to know how much you truly mean to the people you care about the most in this world. We all, from time to time, question our worthiness to our friends and family. In my 15 years as a social worker, I have had great success and notable failures. In my 16 years as a speaker, I have knocked talks out of the park, and I have failed to find the words to leave a lasting impact.  All we can do is hope we have made more lives better than we have screwed up.  And that is where I found myself on a cold night in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday. It was another day to interact with people so I could make the world a better place. It's how I spend the majority of my time. 

I was sleeping out on the lawn of Newbo Market to lead by example for the non-profit I direct. We were raising awareness about the difficult decisions homeless people have to make. It was just our luck that it happened to be the second coldest day of the month and near record lows. I have gotten myself into some fun situations in my career as a social worker and public speaker, but this was going to be a new experience. As we set up for the event, a volunteer laid out lists of all the groups who had donated money to help the homeless by staying in a tent for the night. As I reviewed the list, I read Flying Eagles Social Club. The Flying Eagles Social Club is the name my college buddies gave our merry band of men. How we got the name Flying Eagles Social Club is a story for another day, but my guys came through and showed me that what I'm doing is having an impact and they support me.

I shed one very cold tear, as their gesture overwhelmed me. I texted the group to see if anyone would take credit for their good deed and got only one response. Maybe it was Aaron Rodges, which is a great inside joke amongst my group. I highly doubt Aaron Rodgers, of the Green Bay Packers, donated a tent spot to our event, but Aaron, if you did, thanks and let's chat about a large donation. It was a friendly reminder from my friends that they believe in my mission to make the world a more inclusive place. It was a nudge toward realizing the depth of care numerous people have for me. Lastly, it was proof that through success and failure, it will always be about how you conduct yourself. It showed thatI have conducted myself in a such a way that a group of guys I deeply respect, care. 

I won't always be able to guide the people in my care to success. Every talk won't always land the way I want. But, as long as I have the people who are members of the Flying Eagles Social Club, I will know whether I'm going about things in the right method. And that's all we can really ask for in life, proof that how we conduct ourselves is seen as noble.  Now, I just have to convince the club next year that the real gesture is coming and sleeping out in the cold with me.