What I learned from a Guy Named Bob LeBlanc

It's funny how life goes. When I was a 19 year old kid I had pretty much started my adult life a hot mess. I had already failed out of college, had zero money, worked at a job as a line worker in a factory which sucked the soul out of my body, and figured this was about as good as it was going to get.
I remember a chance encounter with a high school buddy Bobby LeBlanc. We just bumped into each other at a department store. I remember the genuine care in his eyes as he asked me how I was doing. I think I dumped on him a little bit and while he probably could have simply said "ok well yeah, talk to you later dude" and been done with my complaining self, he took a moment to encourage me and tell me he believed in me. He never really knew how that moment affected me.
Bobby was one of those guys I looked up to in high school. The kind that got involved; the kind who would give a kid the shirt off his back if they needed it. He played sports, was a good student, and most importantly was just a good friend. In my high school at the time, there was a large population of um, let's use the word "underprivileged" kids. Most of us were Hispanic and many of us probably weren't going to make it to college (although thank God more than I ever expected moved on to do great things). There was sort of a great divide between the haves (even the perceived haves...kids who would be considered middle-class anywhere else) and the have-nots. They hung out together, and we hung out together. But Bob wasn't the kind of guy who believed in labels. He would see me and come over and say hi and ask me what I was up to and I'd think "dude, are you sure you want to talk to me in public? I'm not really in your league." Yes, I thought of myself that way, but Bobby didn't. He saw me as a classmate and a friend.
Because of his warmth, I was able to hang out with other kids from his circle and learned they were some of the best friends a guy could have. Guys like Scott Proposki and Ken Kamm were guys who in my (very limited) mind I had no business talking to, let alone hanging out with. Yet they did, and Bobby was always close at hand with a joke and a smile.
At 19 I left my community to serve my country and I never returned. There was no Facebook then and so like it was back then, I lost touch with many of those guys. But, awhile back I found him. He and many of my classmate buddies were on FB and I was able to enjoy their friendship once again. Not long after I learned Bobby had been diagnosed with a terrible, insidious illness. He fought it like the brave man he was, never losing that smile and that sense of humor. So many of us learned so much about courage during that time thanks to Bobby.
Today, my friend Scott posted a memorial video about Bobby. As a I watched it I wondered how many peoples' spirits Bob lifted with his smile. How many people he made feel welcome, and how much love he had shared with his close friends and family. The photos in the video show the life of a man who "lived", not a man who was just alive. They were the kinds of photos that depicted he truly cherished the moments many of us take for granted. Heck here I am, a 42 year old man who hadn't seen this guy since I was 19. I had only been a part of Bobby's life. Yet I speak with great love and appreciation for his effect on my life. I guess when one is a Great man, one tends to leave a mark, and one which we can all learn from.
On his FB page, Bobby's favorite quote is "The only disability in life is a bad attitude!" I have subscribed to that opinion for many, many years. It is a great life lesson and while we all "know" it, sometimes it is good to remind ourselves.
Tomorrow is Monday and most of us will be back to the grind. As Mondays go, most of us will probably have forgotten this life lesson by 7:30 in the morning. I challenge you to hold onto my friend Bobby's message as long as you possibly can. Attitude makes all the difference in life.
The great motivational speaker Zig Ziglar once said "A positive attitude won't let you do anything. But it will let you do everything better than a negative attitude." While I had to learn this sage advice from a motivational speaker, my friend Bobby knew it all along. He lived his life that way and what an amazing life he led.