“Who else wants some?” I demanded, standing in the classroom, arms out, like Maximus in Gladiator.

I had walloped every boy in our seventh-grade class in arm wrestling and felt like the strongest kid in the world.

I heard a gentle and familiar voice say, “I’ll arm wrestle you.”

My surprise and disbelief quickly turned into laughter. Mrs. Dawson, our retired substitute teacher, had accepted my challenge.

“Mrs. Dawson, I don’t want to hurt you.”

She smiled. “I think I’ll be okay.”

With my classmates taunting and laughing, I honestly feared breaking Mrs. Dawson’s arm.

That was the day I discovered the major difference between child strength and adult strength . . . Twice!

When I last saw Mrs. Dawson, about 35 years later, as she stood to hug me, she said, “Please forgive me for not getting around so well; I fell weed-eating the other day.” She was 99!

How often does our lack of humility prevent our growth? I don’t know if Mrs. Dawson was trying to humble me or show that she still had it, but she taught me a lot that day by hammering me in front of all my friends.

What did or will it take for you to recognize there are others with more strength, wisdom, skills, experience, and expertise out there than you, and you need to humble yourself enough to learn from them? Don’t make a retired grandmother have to put you in your place.