Recently, I had the privilege to be in the presence of truly great heroes, Dick & Rick Hoyt. For those of you who are not familiar with who they are, Rick suffers from cerebral palsy and is a quadriplegic, Dick is his father. They are well known in these parts for running the Boston marathon 32 times. Yes, running the Boston Marathon, countless other races, and many triathlons including the Ironman in Kona.

Dick Hoyt has been my hero for many years. Think of who runs, and wins, the Boston Marathon – men and women who are very slim, maybe 150 pounds, and young in years. Dick is now 74 and runs pushing his 125 pound son in a wheelchair. While he has slowed over the years, his best time in a marathon was just about one-half hour longer than the world record at the time. Dick, in my mind, has always been the winner of Boston.

All of the athletic accomplishments aside, Dick is a brilliant father. Faced with raising an extremely handicapped son, Dick and his wife decided to keep Rick at home rather than institutionalize him as doctors recommended. They knew he could hear, he could process, and that he was bright. All the odds were beaten as they got Rick the help he needed to go to public schools, to eventually graduate from Boston University.

Enough of their story which I recommend you read in their books. Dick, as I said is a brilliant father. He listened to Rick when Rick asked to run in a 5 mile race to raise money for a young man who became paralyzed as the result of an accident. Rick wanted to show the boy that life could go on even if paralyzed. Dick listened, put Rick in the under equipped wheelchair and ran. It was the start of their ‘career’ on the road.

Dick listened, he overcame the thoughts that the idea itself was crazy, he connected with his son. This is a great lesson for any father, for this father, your author. What would the world be like if all fathers listened as Dick did? What would it be like if all sons persisted in making totally outrageous requests? What if people cared for others as Rick did in wanting to be an example to the other young man? What would peoples’ overall health be like if they took on endeavors even 10% as tough as Dick Hoyt does? Wow, we’d have a more peaceful, more connected, more healthy world. We’d inspire each other on a daily basis. So many other social ills would be lessened.

I call on us all to connect with our sons, and our daughters. Listen to them. Hear their seemingly outrageous requests. Will you be able to satisfy all of them, probably not. And, you will find at least one you can. Your attempt to satisfy will be sufficient – Dick & Rick finished next to last in their first race and first triathlon. You will win in the eyes of the most important person in the world – you child. You will be making their life better. You will be making the world a better place.

Oh yes, as for the title – Yes You Can! – well that’s the Hoyts’ slogan coined over 30 years ago and copied by many. Yes You Can!