Don’t miss opportunities to do good

Do a good turn daily.

It’s a simple, honest code of conduct that mirrors The Golden Rule. It’s also the slogan for the Boy Scouts of America, of which I was reminded recently when interviewing an outstanding Palmer family.

You may recall the May 18 edition of the Frontiersman where the Lentz family was featured on the front page. Along with patriarch Nick Lentz and his brothers Paul and Dale, Nick’s sons Chad, Doug and Bryan are all Eagle Scouts, having attained the highest rank possible in the Boy Scouts of America. With fewer than 5 percent of all Scouts advancing to Eagle, it’s quite remarkable for one family to have six across two generations.

What sticks out from the fascinating interview with the Lentz family is the passion for Scouting exhibited by all, especially Paul Lentz. Although he’s now grown and decades removed from his time as a Boy Scout, he would always come back to that slogan.

Do a good turn daily.

This is what popped into my head yesterday after I missed just such an opportunity. It’s a lesson I hope by sharing will help us all remember that doing good turns daily is not an obligation reserved for Boy Scouts, it’s something we should all make an effort to accomplish.

I was doing the weekly grocery shopping (a chore I despise, which usually is done when there’s nothing left in the refrigerator but a jar of pickles and some tortillas) when I ran into Colleen Lentz, Nick’s wife and mother of their three Eagle Scouts. She recognized me and made the effort to come over and say how much she and the family appreciated the story.

I have to admit, I meet a lot of people every day as a reporter here, so I don’t always recognize everyone on sight. I remembered her immediately after she introduced herself, however, which is where I was suddenly hit square between the eyes: do a good turn daily. By going out of her way to pay a compliment, Colleen Lentz did a good turn.

Her effort made me realize the good turn I had missed just a few minutes before.

While pushing my cart through the aisles, I saw a boy in a wheelchair in front of me run into a display, knocking products to the ground. My first instinct was to rush over and help the boy extricate himself from the display and pick up the spilled items. But I hesitated, instead giving in to the all-too-common action of minding my own business.

The boy’s mother quickly responded and attended to the situation, but I could have as well. It would have been a good turn. Had any of the Lentz Eagle Scouts been around, I’m certain their dedication to doing good turns would have prevailed.

Meeting up with Colleen minutes later was a needed wake-up call that doing good for your neighbors and community is a privilege.

Don’t assume someone else will help if you don’t. You don’t have to be a Boy Scout to do a good turn daily.

Greg Johnson is a reporter for the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman. Contact him at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.