The Posse

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I'd like to share a concept a friend at work taught me a while back. It's really stuck with me as one of those "life lessons." He calls it The Posse. You all know what a posse is. Most often we associate it with the Sheriff, or perhaps the Old West. I think of the posse as that group of men in Tombstone days who the sheriff called when someone needed help or a bad guy needed catching. These men came from many different walks of life, but when duty called, THEY RODE. It didn't matter if funding was available, if guyA was friends with guyB, etc. They simply rode when there was a need.

Life isn't all that different today. We all have events in our lives and in the lives of those near and dear that require the posse to ride. In a career sense, having a posse is SO important. It's via your network and friends that the real work so often gets done. One thing I've learned in my job is the great value of that posse, and how the good old mantra 'what goes around comes around' is so true.

But as I think about it more, the posse in the other-than-career life is just as important. Last year, when we had a serious crisis in our family, I was absolutely amazed as the posse of our friends "rode" and came to our rescue. Those are events I will never forget.

And so, I end with two questions.
  1. Whose posses are you a member of? Do they know it?
  2. Do you have a posse that can ride when the need arises, whether at work or at home?

I like to share what I learn, and I like to learn from others.

Comments

Lori said…
I like that post. Life is a lonely, rough place without a posse- that's for sure.
Just 2 weeks ago our friends whose baby is addie's age became really sick and the wife couldnt get a hold of her husband. She was so surprised that i showed up at her house within minutes and let her take my car and addie's carseat to take her boy to the doctor. For me, it honestly wasnt an inconvenience and I didnt think twice about it. To her it was the kindest gesture possible and totally caught her by surprise.

This isnt to toot my own horn- we probably are the part of helpees more often than helpers in our own posse... but we just make sure to always do the things for others that we hope would be done for us in the same situation.
September 18, 2008 at 6:27 PM
kevandcan said…
That's a really timely post, Chris. I've seen several posses in my life lately - neighborhood, church, work, strangers. Ultimately, it comes down to helping others at the drop of a hat.

I think our lives would be drab and bleak without these groups that help each other. The key is to get involved BEFORE the need is apparent so you can help/be helped when it does arrise.
September 19, 2008 at 7:51 AM
Mia said…
I would comment but I can't type through tears...
September 19, 2008 at 9:00 AM
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