Selflessness

In the summer of 1991 when I was a rising senior at Howard University, I had the opportunity to do an accounting internship with Exxon Yemen division in Houston, TX. My mom’s good friend Valrie was a nurse who lived in close by Missouri City. She was generous enough to allow me to spend the summer with her. There was one small problem. I had no way of getting from the suburbs of Missouri City into the city.

As far as I knew, there were no practical public transportation options. Valrie proposed a solution - I could use her car for the summer. Valrie had access to a friend’s car that she planned to use while I used her car. Here is the thing though. Her friend’s car did not have air conditioning. Rather than have me suffer in the Texas heat driving to and from Houston in a car with no AC, she chose to be the one to carry that burden. She is a nurse and worked the evening shift, so she would be on the road to work in the hottest part of the day. Her selflessness touched me deeply and I reflect on that often. I have asked myself, if the situation was reversed, would I be willing to do that for the daughter of a friend? I am not sure I can honestly say yes. It was really hot in Houston that summer.

I found an unlikely hero in Valrie that summer, and she has inspired me to challenge my own selfish tendencies. Suffering some discomfort so that someone else can realize a dream is a powerful gift to that person, and also to ourselves, and we change the world in the process.