As we stepped onto the Boat on a brisk Alaskan morning full of anticipation for 3 days of catching some “big” Halibut, we were introduced to Piper.  Piper’s role in our adventure was to be a deckhand to our Captain as we traveled to and from our fishing destination as well as supporting all the needs that arose as 6 people fished at the same time. ( Lines tangled, fish coming in all at the same time, assistance to those whose arms were just to weary after 10 minutes of reeling in a rowdy fish, etc.)

Over a 3 day period I had the pleasure of watching this young college student as she fulfilled her role with gusto; she worked tirelessly and managed to have a wonderfully positive, enthusiastic, and kind response at all times.  Those things were so great and I respected her so much for her commitment to our “good” experience.

However, what I observed in her that impressed me the most was her TEACHABLE SPIRIT.  Even with her best efforts, mistakes and missteps were made during especially crazy moments like the time we pulled in a 225 lb Halibut!! When the Captain shared with her what he needed from her in order for them to function as a safe team Piper never became defensive, never pouted, never allowed herself to let her mood and desire to serve slip~~not once. She wanted to learn to do the job well.

A TEACHABLE SPIRIT is a beautiful thing!

Following our last day of fishing we heading to a packaging company to pay to have our fish processed, frozen, and prepared for us to take home on the airplane the next day.  A young gal began to work with us, she seemed pleasant. As we began to work out the details and costs with her she became irritable and sassy as she said “I know what I’m doing” only to charge us a fee that would have been a $75.00 loss for her company. As she huffed and puffed, occasionally talking to other colleagues about random topics she finally, in a disrespectful tone said ” I know what I am doing, do you want me to get someone else…?” To which we replied “yes”.  She stomped off and called her supervisor who, after helping us, could see that this young gal did not know what she was doing and in fact, apologized for her since she was a new employee.

I found my experience with these two young ladies markedly different. One, wanting to learn, to do a job well, and to serve those on the boat with her best efforts.  The other, wanting to be right, satisfied with being sloppy in her role, and unconcerned that she was serving clients poorly and disrespectfully.  Again I was reminded of the sweetness of a TEACHABLE SPIRIT.

I was left to ponder~~do I have a teachable spirit?  Am I willing to be a lifetime learner?  Do I allow my unwillingness to grow and change impact those around me?

To all those questions I thought to myself~~Let me be a bit more like Piper!!

How about you?  Do you have a teachable spirit or do you dig in, acting like you have it all figured out?  It’s a good question worth assessing…………nothing sweeter than a TEACHABLE SPIRIT.