Movers & Shakers Blog

 

We Have Flashlights!        

I grew up in the 1960s with a mom and dad who were both very hard workers. My mom was usually at home, making sure there was food on the table when my dad returned from his full-time job, often around three or four o’clock in the afternoon.

But my dad was a little different because his workday didn’t always end when he came home. He looked for ways to earn a little extra money so our family could enjoy some of the extras in life—great vacations and experiences that created memories I still carry with me today.

As an eight- or nine-year-old boy, I didn’t always understand that.

After school, I wanted to be with my friends, playing baseball, touch football, or simply being a kid. But when my dad came home, I usually knew what was coming next.

Back then, he didn’t have a pickup truck. We had a big car with a large trunk, and into that trunk we loaded lawnmowers, rakes, brooms, tarps, shrub shears, and whatever else we needed for a landscaping job. Then I would hear it.

My dad’s whistle.

I knew exactly what that whistle meant. It was time to leave my friends and go to work with Dad. Did that always make me happy? Absolutely not.

There were even a few times when I stayed behind and let him go by himself. And you know what? I regretted it. Playing with my friends wasn’t quite as much fun when I knew my father was out there working alone.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that my father was teaching me about responsibility—about stepping up and helping when your family needed you. But there was another lesson he was teaching me that I wouldn’t fully understand until many years later. At the end of every landscaping job, my father did what I called his “walk-around.”

We might finish working around 7:30 or 8:00 on a summer evening. I would help Dad put the rakes, brooms, tarps, and equipment back into the car. In my mind, the job was finished.  Not in Dad’s mind.

Before we left, he walked around the property and inspected our work. And if something wasn’t right, I would hear those dreaded words:

“Johnny, get out of the car. It’s time to unload. We’re going to finish this job right.” UGH!!!

 I hated hearing that! Did I complain? Yes. Did I sometimes act up? Absolutely. I was eight or nine years old. I wanted to go home, watch television, or get back to my friends. But what I didn’t understand was that Dad was teaching me a lesson I would still be carrying more than 60 years later:  If you are going to do a job, do it right.

There is one particular night I will never forget.

We had completed a landscaping job for a family who had been away on vacation. I believe it was a Saturday or Sunday evening when they called my father. They were disappointed because some of the shrubs hadn’t been trimmed the way they expected. By then, it was dark outside. So, I figured we get to it another day…… FAT CHANCE!
My father looked at me and said, “Johnny, we’re going out.” 
I looked at him as though he were crazy.  “Dad, it’s dark outside!” His answer was simple.

“We have flashlights.”

So, we loaded up the car and went back out to that house. I held the flashlight while my father recut the shrubs, cleaned everything up, and made the job right for those customers.

Was I frustrated? Of course I was. I probably would have preferred to be home watching The Beverly Hillbillies or whatever television show happened to be on that night. But standing there in the darkness, holding that flashlight for my father, I was learning one of the most important lessons of my life. When you give someone your word and agree to do a job, give them the best you have. And when something isn’t right, don’t make excuses.

Go back and make it right.

I lost my dad seven years ago this month. In our final moments together, he said something to me I will carry for the rest of my life: “Johnny, thank you for everything you’ve ever done to help me out, you were always there for me.”

Those may have been the greatest words my father could ever have said to me. I was blessed to be there with him at the end.
As a child, I didn’t always understand my parents or the sacrifices they made. Sometimes the lessons they taught me came through frustration. Sometimes they came through hard work. And sometimes they came through a simple sentence spoken by a father to his young son. More than 60 years later, I understand.

Life will always have dark moments. There will always be problems to solve, mistakes to correct, and times when doing the right thing isn’t necessarily the easiest or most convenient thing to do. But perhaps my father’s answer still applies:

We have flashlights.  Find a way. Do your best. Take responsibility.  And if something isn’t right, go back and make it right.  Because it’s the right thing to do.

John P. Slosek Jr. — The Insurance Coach®

©2026 John P. Slosek Jr. All Rights Reserved.

About the Author                                                       

 John P. Slosek Jr. is the founder of Slosek Insurance Corporation, established in 1984 and still serving clients today. For more than 40 years, John has worked in the insurance industry helping individuals, families, and business owners better understand protection, risk, and financial responsibility. In addition to operating his and his wife’s insurance agency, John has spent over 30 years as a motivational and self-improvement speaker, focusing on common-sense life lessons, personal growth, and real-world decision-making. John is also the host of The Insurance Coach® radio show, heard every Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. on Classic Hits 97.7. www.classichits977.com (Hit Listen Live). The program combines insurance education, life experiences, motivational insight, and practical advice designed to help listeners make better decisions for themselves and their families. John proudly resides in Massachusetts with his family and enjoys spending time with his children, grandchildren and his two Golden Doodles Maggie & Morgan.