Players Have a Kemosabe

One of my favorite childhood shows was The Lone Ranger. This was a long-running early radio and television show about a masked cowboy in the American Old West who gallops about righting injustices, usually with the aid of a clever American Indian called Tonto and his horse Silver. Tonto always greeted the Lone Ranger by saying, “Kemosabe.” The origin of this expression is somewhat unclear, but James Jewell (an early director of the radio series) said the name originated from a boy’s camp located on Mullett Lake, Michigan, that his fatherin-law directed from 1911 to 1941. The translation meant “trusty scout,” which Tonto explains in the pilot of the Clayton Moore TV series, Enter the Lone Ranger. Fran Striker, the writer of The Lone Ranger scripts, also said the actual expression was Ta-i ke-mo sahbee, which he said meant “Greetings, trusty scout.” Over time, the phrase “faithful friend” has also been associated with the term Kemosabe. The Lone Ranger was the person Tonto looked to as the one who knew the answers to diffi cult situations. As a kid, I remember how Tonto and the Lone Ranger would get out of some very diffi cult circumstances with a good attitude and quick problem-solving skills. (Of course, unlike the Lone Ranger, my real-life problems take longer than a thirty-minute TV show to solve.) To jump from a parasite Survivor to a thriving player, you need to look around you and determine your Kemosabes. Who are the trusted friends that you turn to when you need to discuss life’s situations and challenges? Who are the people with whom you can trust to share your heart, knowing that they will hold your confi dence? Who are the Kemosabes that listen to your issues without making judgments? Players looking to thrive know they need Kemosabes in their life because these are the people who give them insight and wisdom as well as encouragement when they need it. I have been so fortunate in my life to have had some wonderful Kemosabes. People like Pastor Kim Beckham, Pastor Richard Spencer, my brother Pastor Rick Sydnor, and my staff at my office.