That was all he was looking for:  Just an opportunity to make adifference. 
It was what drove him:  His motivation. 
No one really understood who he was. 
The strangers who encountered him didn't even know his real name,
with one notable exception.  He had revealed himself to one man,
a town greeter, who's horrific past had set our world of hatred,
deception and lies on the outside of his own personal experience. 
The greeter was trapped in an endless cycle that protected his mind
from the pain of reality, but kept him locked into his daily trip to the
mound in his effort to avoid the heartache of consciousness. 
It was preventing him from truly ever breaking free and had delegated unto him
the position of "fool" in the minds of the townspeople who passed him by every day. 
In that foolishness he had found peace. 
That was until his peace was disturbed by the wandering hero,
who through some kind words and a simple whisper of a name,
began the process of opening the greeter's ears and eyes to the folly
of living in a pain free fantasy.  It pointed him in the direction
of the pleasure to be found in sacrificing one's comfort zone
for the help and provision of someone else in need.

It was January, 1987, when I watched that first episode of the secondseason
of what would become perhaps my favorite TV series of all time. 
"Stingray," starring Nick Mancuso, had a short run on the small screen
but it had a major impact on me. 
It's a timeless portrayal of good versus evil, and the value of self sacrifice,
and personal commitment with no desire for individual gain. 
It touched me. 
The main character, "Ray," wasn't a saint.  He didn't have any superpowers. 
Ray was an ordinary man, who by extraordinary effort and perseverance,
accomplished what seemed to be impossible. 
All he asked in return from those he helped was that they be willing to do
whatever it took to return the favor, as someday they would be called
upon to help someone else in trouble.

In looking at Ray I found that I could draw on the tenacity of his character,
and personally identify with the crusty exterior that hid a very sensitive and
empathetic spirit.  He trusted that the people he helped would return the favor
in kind when they were individually tapped to do so. 
"I need the favor," Ray would say as he mysteriously appeared once again
in the lives of those he had previously helped. 
Sometimes he got what he asked for. 
Occasionally he was betrayed, or rejected, but that was all a part of the risk
that was built into the sacrifice he had made. 
It was what put him into a position where he could ask for the favor to begin with.

I began asking myself, "Has anyone ever sacrificially helped you? 
'Do you owe them, big time? Have you responded in kind?" 
We often consider ourselves to be ordinary people who really aren't capable
of accomplishing the extraordinary things we see being done by the
world's superheroes.  But that just isn't true.  I came to realize that,
like Ray, we are all capable of making a real difference in the lives of others. 
Capable that is if we are willing to sacrifice in order to return,
or pass on the favors that have been done for us! 
We can all do so much more than what we've done so far. 
We just need to come out of our comfort zones, wake up to reality,
and reach out, regardless of the pain or the cost. 
"Stingray" was only a TV show, but it combined with a number of other things
that have been major motivators in my life.

Some day you're going to see an empty parking meter
at the same moment a police officer is walking down the sidewalk
writing tickets.  The quarter you stick in it may make a real difference
for someone.  Some day the person in front of you in the checkout line
at the grocery store is going to look through their wallet and then
tell the cashier to take the milk off the register. 
The few dollars that you hand them could make a big difference in their lives. 
Some time you're going to see some tree limbs that have fallen into the yard
of an elderly couple, or you'll stop to help someone change a tire,
or you'll volunteer to babysit, you'll find a garbage can blowing around
in the street, you'll see a shopping cart sitting in a handicap space,
you'll notice a lost child, pick up a dropped wallet,
see a homeless person, or someone else in need. 

What you do right then could make a real difference in their lives. 

"I need the favor!"