Peer pleasure

Jay participated in a recent kayak/camping trip I organized. He heads a paddling group in another state. It’s always a pleasure to have him along, but this time in particular. Just before adjourning the campfire activities for one evening, I explained the itinerary for the following day. The group nodded and went off to their tents. Jay lingered long enough to comment, “That must’ve taken some intense research to set up.” A simple remark but it was gold to me. Very few people give any thought to the research, planning, arrangements, negotiations, advanced payment, problem solving and myriad of other things that go into bringing off an event for their enjoyment. Or, anything else, for that matter. I don’t expect it. All I ask is that, in return for all the effort and risk, they follow instructions, reimburse promptly and generally try to be more of an asset than a liability. Even that’s too much to ask in a few cases, but I don’t stop doing it because of a small minority. I appreciated Jay’s observation and it meant more coming from an esteemed peer. Complaints and criticism mean nothing coming from those who offer nothing to the greater good, but this came from the other end of the spectrum.