The Example of Grandmama: A Tale of Larry Johnson

In the fall of '89, a family friend took me to an UNLV Runnin' Rebel's basketball practice. It was there I met a young man named Larry Johnson. As a 14 year old, I was in awe of his immense size. He seemed larger than life, but it was when this gentle giant sat down and drank a Coca-Cola with me that his true magic emerged.

We discussed his home town, and that I, too, had family there. We talked about Las Vegas, his new home and the place I had grown up. We talked about Dallas Cowboys' football, and the big UNR and UNLV rivalry. But it was him asking me where I wanted to go to college and what I wanted to be that made the largest impact that day. This warrior on the court, this local hero, this star in the paint seemed to care about me and my dreams. With real interest he listened to the ramblings of a child, and then said, "I'm sure you can do it. Focus on school."

Maybe they teach all starting Forwards to make that kind of lasting impact when they talk to children or maybe that was just one kid trying to mentor another that day, whatever it was, it stayed with me. A Pro career for him and two Masters degrees later for me, I got the honor and privilege of buying a Coca-Cola for Mr. Johnson last week at a Nike Fundraiser, while Mr. Johnson made a public appearance. He spoke to my own child as gently and genuinely as he had spoken to me so many years before. And I realized how powerful and lasting words and intent can be on someone.

While that interaction took place face to face, I would like you to think about social media for a moment - keeping that story in your mind. Who is your audience? Sometimes we don't really know. Mr. Johnson could have no way of knowing the impact of his words twenty-one years ago nor could he know they would be written about in the future. Could someone impressionable be reading your blog, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, or Gather postings? Might they be taking in your comments and locking them away? And if they are, what impression are you leaving? What "footprint" are you making with your typed words?

We will not always make the right decisions, but if we consciously think about things before we print and post them, we might find our influence to be like that of a man they call "Grandmama" - a man that I simply call "an example". 




Social Media and the Pea by Alice Ann Williams is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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