Excellence, Doing Your Best & Sharing

"The secret of joy in work is contained in one word - excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it. "   Pearl S. Buck

Doing something "excellently" is indeed a joy. It's wonderful when each of us can find something at which we are excellent - and to find joy in work. I would add to Buck's quote something about finding joy in doing the best we can at something. When we're doing our best, whether or not someone else would call our effort "excellent," we can bring happiness to ourselves and others. I think there is excellence, and joy, in our best efforts. 

Mom and Dad taught us about work, to work hard, and to always do our best - that's what Holtons did. When they taught us to do something, no matter the task, we were shown how to do it well. We were expected to try hard and to do our best. 

This expectation was reinforced in high school when Virginia Freid, English teacher, handed back a paper with a grade of "B." I vividly remember her telling me that someone else might have gotten an "A" with that effort. But because I was a Holton, she knew I could do better and she expected me to do better.  Bob Smith taught biology in high school. He took me aside one day and gently but firmly told me I was coasting and could do much better if I applied myself more. I was getting "A's" but he knew and expected me to get even "better A's."

Dad was a wonderful example of sharing a talent that might not have been judged "excellent" by others - but it was his best effort. Dad enjoyed playing the piano. He was an OK pianist but not a great one. His feeling was that many people needed a "middling" pianist and he was glad to offer his services. There were lots of places that needed a best effort pianist and not a concert pianist. So he played for Rotary, Faith Mission, and other such organizations. He felt it was his responsibility to share the talent he had and not to hold it back because it wasn't "good enough." That has been a wonderful lesson and example to me. 

Mom and Dad taught by example the importance of sharing your efforts and talents. Both of them were actively involved in the community throughout their lives in London. Many individuals and groups benefitted from their involvement and best efforts. 

I am thankful to my parents for their teaching and example. I do find joy in working hard and doing my best - and perhaps even achieving excellence in some things. 

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PS - Miss Freid taught Dad and his brothers at the beginning of her teaching career. She taught a second generation of Holtons at the end of her career.