Amazed

Last night after my workout, I took the long way out of the building. I went out the doors on the second floor and walked out and looked over the soccer fields below. I wandered down the stairs and watched the soccer practice going on for one of the league teams, and looked up at the huge banners hanging down next to the giant sequoia tree. They are logos for two of the semi-pro teams that play at McDermont. Doug designed both the logos, and they're fantastic. I was thinking to myself that it was so cool to have some of what is essentially his artwork so prominently displayed, and then I remembered where I was standing.

McDermont and the city have been such a huge and often overwhelming and stressful part of our lives that sometimes for a little while I forget. Doug designed pretty much that whole facility. Much of it came from Scot's vision, but before it ever existed, Doug conceptualized it in his mind and then modeled it on his computer. I walked through Building C, visually, before they ever even poured the footings. That's both an incredible talent and an amazing opportunity to use it. I know that 99.5% of the people who step foot in that building will never have any idea who Doug is or what he did, or even that he exists. As it is now, half the staff members don't know him. But I know what he put into that and to see something that he created come to life (through the hard work and creative efforts of a lot of other people), is sort of an astonishing thing and an opportunity a lot of people never get in life.

I hope he gets many more opportunities in this life to use his amazing talents for good purposes, but even if McDermont is the only opportunity he gets, I'll still be grateful for those talents. I wish I wouldn't let stresses get in the way of my gratitude.