"He lived his life to the fullest." A golden retriever provides a lesson to us all 📺The context Spencer, the official dog for last year's Boston Marathon, died in February; his owner's other dog, Penny, died eight days later.
A 2018 video (18 seconds) showing Spencer holding Boston Strong flags in the rain went viral with over two million views.
“For years Spencer...served as an unofficial cheerleader for participants as they [made] their way from Hopkinton to Boston,” wrote Thomas S. Grilk, president and CEO of the Boston Athletic Association.
👉Go deeper Spencer was also a therapy dog who brought smiles to those in locations like hospitals and assisted living facilities.
People were so moved by Spencer and Penny's deaths that a tribute to them took place last week. Over 100 golden retrievers and their owners gathered and walked across the Boston Marathon's finish line.
“He wanted to give back, and he was a very giving dog — all he wanted to do was make me happy,” his owner, Rich Powers said. "He lived his life to the fullest."
💡Connect the dots University of Pennsylvania professor and author, Adam Grant, wrote a book called "Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success." Takers might win in the short term, givers win in the long run.
"Whereas takers strive to get as much as possible from others and matchers aim to trade evenly, givers are the rare breed of people who contribute to others without expecting anything in return."
Spencer was a giver.
📢My BIG Takeaway I need to constantly ask myself, in as many situations as possible, am I taking, matching, or giving? In this me-first, go-go-go, get-as-much-as-you-can, get-ahead society this can be difficult for me.
Question: What can I do right now that will help me change just one action today from taker/matcher to giver. In other words, how can I be like Spencer today?
🕖Bonus time Below is a clip that will warm your heart. Treat yourself. (4 minutes)
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Rich Trombetta @trombettarich
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