Rick Vuyst joins us today to discuss his book “Operation Rumination.” By putting his social calendar on hold for a year, Rick undertook military style basic training while exploring the character and personalities of the servicemen and servicewomen of the United States Armed Forces. Listen today!

 

 

Transcript

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00:07 Lynne Jarman-Johnson: Money, I’m home! Well, come on in, I’m Lynne Jarman-Johnson with Consumers Credit Union, and this is our podcast to help you live a financial wellness life and a fitness wellness life. It’s finance to fitness here at Consumers Credit Union. Joining us today on our podcast is Rick Vuyst, he is the author of Operation Rumination. He’s also a very well-known gardener extraordinaire, business owner. Tell you what, we are going to learn more today about our own leadership skills. I think you’re going to be very excited. Rick welcome in.

 

00:40 Rick Vuyst: Thank you so much, Lynne.

 

00:41 LJJ: So Rick, there was a time… This is how… This is the kind of guy that I know you are. So, I remember [chuckle] a… [chuckle] That you’re giggling now. [chuckle] I remember a viral story that went viral on news and social media across the country about a woman and I think she had a ring doorbell or something, but all of her plants were… Potted beautiful plants were stolen. You could see that the robbers stealing these beautiful potted plants and they’re not… It’s not like they’re not pricey, they’re expensive. Plus, they’re part of you, those potted plants that you put on your porch, but they were stolen right off her porch. And what did you do?

 

01:24 RV: Well, I drove down the road, found the house and knocked on the door and offered to replace the pots and the plants for them. But I think the more important part of the story is how it resonated with people. Because there are many wonderful… I call them a heavenly host. There are many wonderful people flying under the radar every day quietly practicing selfless service. Now, the media picked up on this and we replaced the flowers and the pots. But the thing that I was overwhelmed by is the number of people who wanted to help. I’ll donate the pots, I’ll help you plant them, I’ll… You know, whatever it may be. That touched me. It really did, and that also helped spark the whole rumination on selfless service.

 

02:20 LJJ: So, at Consumers Credit Union, we are very intentional about servant leadership. It’s one of the hiring practices that we have. Because we do know that the more that you are a servant leader, one that is bound to listen and help, it truly changes lives. Now, you had the opportunity because you are an owner of a beautiful garden shop called Fruitbasket Flowerland to help this woman. But you saw people who look at… I have no attachment to… It’s just, I want to help.

 

02:55 RV: Right, exactly. And so, it just got me, again, doing healthy rumination, a part of Operation Rumination and seeing these people, whether they’re the ones picking up trash on the beach or the ones who wanted to help with flowers, their tendency towards selfless service. So, I did a deep dive, a rumination, for example, studied some things like the equity theory. Now the equity theory is fascinating, it predicts that people feel exploited when they give more than they receive or they feel uncomfortable when they receive more than they give, right? Somebody gives you a beautiful gift, you’re right away like, “I’ve got to do something for them,” right?

 

03:44 LJJ: Absolutely.

 

03:45 RV: That’s equity theory. The point here is, selfless service is not a reciprocal type activity, and there are many people who engage in it quietly, under the radar, and that includes veterans who have served in the US military, who come home and you’re in the shopping mall with them, you’re in the park with them, church, school, whatever. And unless you stopped and heard their story, you would not know what they went through. When you do hear their story, you’re like, “Wow.” It’s goose bump, kind of stuff, Lynne.

 

04:24 LJJ: You started this, though, not out of “Boy, I really want to tell all these good stories,” it really started with kind of a confrontation in your life that you just were surprised about.

 

04:36 RV: Yeah, just stung by the fact that somebody would say to me that I didn’t understand veterans and their needs, and I decided again, to do that deep dive and figure out, “Okay, I’m going to do this, I’m going to set aside my social calendar for the year, and I’m going to spend the year with Vietnam veterans, Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, World War II.” I’m the one who benefited. [chuckle] It was unreal.

 

05:05 LJJ: Why… You know, did you just say right at the beginning, I’m going to write a book or was it… Did that all of a sudden… You’re already a published author…

 

05:13 RV: Right.

 

05:13 LJJ: But was that part of it, or did you decide all of a sudden through the middle of your activities?

 

05:18 RV: I’d say in the middle, in the middle I did, because I was going through a personal basic training of sorts and again, doing the push-ups, sit-ups, and running to meet the requirements of a 17 to 21-year-old entering the army. So you’ve got to score at least a 60% in push-ups, and sit-ups and running, in other words a 180 score, 300 would be a perfect score. Now, I was drilled by a marine sergeant on my 59th birthday. I scored a 264, so I passed.

 

05:50 LJJ: Please tell me there is video of that somewhere. [chuckle] That would be great.

 

05:53 RV: Yeah, actually that is not good.

 

[laughter]

 

05:55 LJJ: That would be great. That’s a great score.

 

05:57 RV: But over the course as it relates to selfless service, the thing that I learned is the best basic training exercise is to lift someone up. Because it’s good for both your heart and your mind. And that’s one of the things that these veterans taught me in my rumination, as I trained. You know, the physical part of it isn’t that important? However, I did do 72 push-ups in two minutes, which got me a 100% score, Lynne, I am pretty proud of that. [laughter] But it’s not… That’s not the important part of it. It cleared the brain fog and help me understand others better, particularly those selfless servants, like I say, that fly under the radar and they are all around us, every day it is… I’m just going to say another goosebump moment, because I see people out there doing it.

 

06:51 LJJ: You focus on leadership in your book and you focus on veterans, you’ve interviewed veterans, you went through your own personal boot camp through for real, physically and emotionally. The thing that I loved when I read about your work was the following items, that Operation Rumination focuses on selfless service, continuation, a sense of humor, humility, and courage.

 

07:26 RV: Yes.

 

07:27 LJJ: Pick one of those and how did you realize that that’s what you felt and had to talk about?

 

07:34 RV: Well, the way it came about Lynne, is that, I decided if I was going to spend this year with veterans and learn their stories, I was going to find common threads that tied all of them together, and it became clear to me, whether it was a Vietnam Vet or a World War II Vet, or a Korean Vet, they had common characteristics, every one of these individuals, men and women, and they were humility, honor, like a strong faith, there’s a purpose that’s greater than themselves, a sense of humor. Some of these people like Al Johnson in my book, oh, he could be a stand-up comedian, and he just holds a crowd in the palm of his hands. I saw him give a speech, and he is not a professional speaker, and I saw him give a speech and the individual was introducing him and said, “Today we’re going to hear from Al Johnson, and I was touched the other day, because I saw Al Johnson in the grocery store with his wife, they’ve been married for 71 years, and still holding hands and he tugs the sleeve of the individual introducing him and said, “Oh, that has nothing to do with love, we hold hands so we don’t fall over.” [chuckle] Just a sense of humor. I mean, he’s unreal.

 

08:57 RV: Selfless service, which I believe Lynne is taught, demonstrated. Think of a little baby, or a little kid, many times they’ll act selfishly, they cry when they don’t get what they want, that sort of thing. So, we are taught, we are trained, an example is set. Courage, not the absence of fear, but doing what you need to do despite the presence of fear, which by the way Lynne, you and I are the right age, where we were influenced by mid-20th century men and women. And in the process of this, I learned that those people that influenced me were people… This is the best way I have to describe them. They never complained and they never explained. They don’t wear their emotions on their shirt sleeves, they never complained and they never explained. And then the other characteristics, physical activity, continual goals, continual… I go into the basement of a 100-year-old veteran and he’s at a computer working on making a travelogue, while there’s paintings in the corner that he’s painting, and he’s got to get out to the garden and get some work done in the garden. Continual goals, strong work ethic, and then comradery. And those were the characteristics that I picked up that tied all these veterans together. And I’m like, “Boy, if we pick up these characteristics, it’s amazing what we could do.”

 

10:31 LJJ: How did you find the veterans that were ready, willing, and able to open their hearts to you?

 

10:38 RV: Great story… Great question, and it’s a great story. I mean, for example, one of the veterans, I was wearing my army PFU… Physical fitness uniform, it’s a hot day, I’m running up a hill of a street and he sees me wearing that, parks his car in the middle of the street, backs up traffic, gets out of the car and wants to hear my story. [chuckle] I take a business card from him, slip it into my shorts and call him later down the road. For me, again, I believe that they are all around us, like that heavenly host of selfless servants and you have to open your eyes, and they’re right there. I had no difficulty finding them. Now, some we had great talks and did not want to share their stories and I respect that. Others were willing to share their story, and they’re highlighted in Operation Rumination.

 

11:37 LJJ: Since you’ve written it and it has hit Amazon, now what? Because now it feels like, “Well, I want you to keep on going.”

 

11:48 RV: Well, you know…

 

11:49 LJJ: I think it was a year of your life and now what?

 

11:53 RV: Well, I’ll probably do another gardening book and I already know what the title of that book is going to be and that is, “I Need to Change my Plants.” [laughter] So that might be next, we’ll see. I have a concept for that book that I’d like to follow up on, but I would love it if… Because I believe that the cause for the book is great. The Grand Valley University Veterans history project. So, it’d be fun to do an Operation Rumination 2, but we’ll see how that goes for me. And it culminated in February, when I was asked to MC the joint services ball at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, first time ever that they had a civilian [chuckle] doing that. And over the course of the year, hanging out with these military people, I learned a lot of acronyms. [chuckle] They used nothing but acronyms, you know?

 

12:50 LJJ: Right.

 

12:51 RV: Like I said, the PFU or they go to the… I mean, they just use one acronym after another, although no more than, let’s say, a 16-year-old today on their phone texting, right?

 

13:01 LJJ: Right. Right.

 

13:05 RV: So possibly, I might do a second one. It would be loads of fun, but I think what I’m going to do is, I’m just going to see where the spirit leads me, I’m going to continue to do the physical exercise, continue… You know, I’ve made some great veteran friends now who have tremendous stories and so, I’m just going to do it. And as it relates to the physical fitness, I’d like to think that some folks could learn from my experience also physically, in trying to get physically fit, because in the book, I use a Teddy Roosevelt quote that says, “If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble you wouldn’t sit for a month.” [laughter] And I think that’s true.

 

[chuckle]

 

13:49 LJJ: Well, I’ll tell you what, I think that this has definitely changed your life and moving forward what a blessing and a joy for you, and for all those around you.

 

14:00 RV: Well, the veterans are a blessing and I’m thankful for their service, and their stories, and we can all learn a lesson of selfless service from them.

 

14:09 LJJ: Well, Rick, thank you so much.

 

14:10 RV: Thank you, Lynne.

 

14:11 LJJ: The book is Operation Rumination, it is on Amazon, and all of the proceeds, money of the proceeds are going to the Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project. We need to hear and capture those stories one at a time. So, it’s important to continue to share and learn and grow. So, I’ll tell you what, thank you for helping us grow today.

 

14:32 RV: Well, thank you, as the veterans would say, “Lima, Charlie, Bravo, Zulu, which means, well done. Thank you.

 

14:38 LJJ: Thank you. Lynne Jarman-Johnson. Hey, you guys, Money, I’m Home from finance to fitness. Thank you so much and thanks to Aaron Bowersox for being our wonderful producer. Have a great week.

 

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