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Scoutmaster minute: 04-17-2008 by Howard Lemmon

Can I Own a Rolls Royce Too?

In 1978, after I returned home from my mission, I took a job working at the Los Angeles Marriott Hotel in the Valet Parking department. It was a minimum wage job, but the tips could usually be pretty good.

The front entrance had two driveways, an upper and a lower. The upper driveway was used most of the time for regular drive up customers. The Lower driveway was only used on special occasions for the purpose of catering conventions, parties, and other big events with lots of people.

On these occasions, you would normally work very hard for an hour or so parking the cars at the beginning of the convention. The rest of the evening would be mostly "down time" until it was time to retrieve the cars. Then it would again be a mad frantic rush to finish the job, and all your tip money would be made at once.

One night I was selected to work the lower level. It was a convention of Rolls Royce Owners!

Its truly is a beautiful car... but I understand the maintenance is very expensive.

What Kind of people drive Rolls Royce's any way? CEO's of Multinational conglomerates? Presidents of International Corporations? Royal Highnesses, Kings of Monarchies? Princes and Princesses of Royalty? The Mega Rich, and the Mega Super Rich and the Mega Super Duper Double Whammy rich? Yes, Gazillionaires.

Wow, I thought to myself. These people are all together in one place just inside the doors of this building. Imagine that!

But we were about to find out soon enough that this would be a most peculiar evening indeed. An evening that was about to shock our senses beyond our comprehension!

As the guests arrived at the Hotel, they were directed to the lower level to have their cars parked. With few exceptions, each of them insisted on parking the cars themselves just inside the parking garage and keep the keys. This was unprecedented. But our supervisor agreed, so we showed them where to park the cars. At the end of the evening when the convention was letting out, the guests exited the Hotel, and nearly all of them walked right past the pay booth, straight into the garage, and took their cars intentionally without paying. We tried to stop them and tell them repeatedly that they have to pay their 2.50 at the booth. They would snobbishly say ... "No. We don't have to pay anything".

We called Hotel Security to come and put a stop to this. They told us it wasn't worth hassling over and to just let them go. Initially, this was very upsetting. I'll never forget my friend Glen Hackamack running after them them one by one screaming and yelling as they drove up the driveway and out onto Century Blvd. to disappear into the night. He was MAD. I was mad too, but eventually we gave up trying and just let it go, realizing that it was no use caring any more.

All the time I worked there, I had never seen anyone refuse to pay their parking tab. Suddenly, we have people driving a car that (brand new) is worth 3 times the price of the average house, and yet, they won't pay their $2.50 tab after using the service!

Oh, and by the way, as for our tips, we got totally stiffed.

Like getting hit with a glass of cold water in the face, it is truly shocking when you encounter a life experience that is contrary to what you thought you knew about a something. My understanding of Rolls Royce Owners was obviously not entirely correct.

Did they not have the $2.50 to pay their tab because they spent it all on their vanity car?

Are they regular people like you and I, only playing out a fantasy life?

Do Kings, queens and international dignitaries attend Rolls Royce Owners conventions?

The truth about the Rolls Royce owners is simply this. I have discovered that you could own most anything you want in this life. It is simply a matter of choice. Without much trouble, I could find a pre-owned Rolls Royce the same price or less then most people spend on a new Chevy.

It's simply a matter of choosing where and how to spend your money.

Isn't it a wonderful country that we live in, where we are free to choose. Free to choose good or evil. Free to choose how to use our precious time. Free to choose how to live our lives. Free to choose who to serve. Free to choose what we value and what we don't. Free to choose the type of car we drive. Free to care or not care.

The definition of a choice is to pick one thing over another. Therefore, When you make a choice, you eliminate all other choices. For example, If you only have enough money to purchase one ice cream cone, when you choose Vanilla ice cream, you choose to not have all other flavors. Life choices that we make require us to choose what we are going to sacrifice in order to have the things that we value the most.

The test of this life is about making the right choices that you are presented with. The right choice is choosing that which is best for the welfare of our soul, and everyone must make these choices..

Because we are not free to choose the consequences of our choices, we must always "CHOOSE THE RIGHT".

Lehi taught,

Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh, and all things are given unto them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life through the great mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself. (2Nephi 2:27),

Joshua proclaimed,

"...Choose ye this day whom ye will serve; ... but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15)

As a Boy Scout, you have chosen to serve others by helping other people at all times and doing a good turn daily. You serve others by living up to the principles in the Scout Law and Oath. When you serve others, you are serving God (Mosiah 2:17). This is the right choice.

Have you done a good turn today?

Howard Lemmon