Staying humble

Woke up early this morning on my day off and started dreaming of a quick four-day holiday to Kapalua. The professionals are back at it bright and early into the new year as the PGA season gets underway in Hawaii.
When I was a sports reporter in St. Thomas, Ontario, I followed the tour as intently as I probably ever have. Around that time, a local St. Thomas guy, Brennan Little, started carrying the sticks for a promising up and comer from a small town near Sarnia. Brennan and I went to the same high school (Central Elgin Collegiate in St. Thomas) but I never met him at CECI because of our age gap. Around the time he was caddying, Brennan's dad volunteered a stint as the president of the St. Thomas Golf and Country Club and he was a pretty prominent lawyer. I rounded up some contact information for Brennan and called his cell phone (that was before the cell phone boom).
Now, as a journalist, you are never quite sure what to expect when you make that first call. Sports types tend to be approachable and chatty because you are shooting the breeze about sports.
Easy conversation.
It was harder on the general news side of things.
Calling someone who has just lost a loved one in a car accident, for example, is one of those required evils in the world of media and no journalist ever looks forward to it. I always approached it like this: the community should have a last look at this person in a positive light. What did such and such a person like to do? Did he give back to his community? Was he a big family guy?
At the conclusion of the conversation, the person usually felt better as they remembered the good times and readers were informed of the person's loves in life, not the 'just-the-facts-mam' details compiled for a police press release.
The situation was all-good with Brennan. Before I called him, I did some research on the man who was making a good go of it on the PGA Tour. Mike Weir is a household name to golf fans everywhere nowadays. Back then, after some early struggles, Weir was slowly proving he could hang in there with the best. Brennan was a great interview. It probably helped that I was a St. Thomas guy and we could chat about what was happening back home, as Brennan was on the road a lot. He didn't get too much into detail about the caddying. Up early, scout the course, a lot of prep work, that type of thing. Totally understandable, given his working relationship with Mike.
What struck me most was he was so approachable. I called many times and he was always appreciative that I called. "Thanks, anything I can do, let me know". One of those people you love as a journalist, but also as a friend.
I think I could sum up Brennan's outlook on life best this way.
We met when he played on the Canadian Tour and I went to Forest City National in London with my notepad and camera to write a feature.
Brennan had a tough day on the course. But he was happy to talk afterwards and thanked me for the interview. His life soon would take a fantastic twist that afforded him the chance to see some of the world's great golf courses and meet some of its most recognizable stars. I got goose bumps when I watched Mike walk out to thunderous applause at that Toronto Maple Leafs game in his Green Jacket to drop the puck, after winning The Masters. Every Canadian, golf fan or not, was in awe of that performance.
Imagine what it was like for Brennan to be right there? Unreal.
You wouldn't know any of it got to him if you met Brennan. Without saying it, you knew he appreciated a life that many could only dream of.