this may take a while….
Sep18
a bit ironic
that the man who was installing my wood flooring
showed up at my house
on the second day of work
looking rough
telling me how he had helped his friend
take down a dying tree in his yard
only to be knocked out cold and hit in the ribs
by a wayward giant branch
a piece of wood
that did not fall into place as planned.
I suggested he take the day off
to go to the doc or for some r&r
to come back and finish
whenever he felt better.
glad he took me up on my offer
and left for the day.
shows something about his work ethic
that he showed up
the very next day
prepared to work as hard as ever.
his comment –
” I know I look like I’ve been hit by a tree, but I’m okay,
it’s not the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.
lots of people have it a lot worse.”
—
“as you slide down the banister of life,
may all the splinters be going in the right direction.”
– author unknown
—
image credit: travelocity. com
when one local dollar tree store closed
my favorite enthusiastic manager
moved to the new location
and judging by my recent visit
he has not lost one bit
of his dollar store fervor and expertise.
this was a conversation between bob (the manager) and evelyn (my cashier) as i was checking out:
E: “bob, you’re really good at remembering all of the balloon numbers to ring up and knowing each one of them without looking.”
B: “well, i’ve been doing it a long time. once in a while a number will change or a new shape will come in, like a unicorn, but it’s part of my job to keep up with it.”
E: “when i worked at the grocery store, i knew all the prices for the cucumbers, the peppers and tomatoes. the easy ones”
B: “some are trickier, like avocados, and for some of those things you only see sometimes it’s harder to remember the all the plu’s.”
E: “it’s really a skill, bob. to be able to do that.”
customer john interrupts:
J: “hey bob – so this is where you’ve got up to – how are you liking the change?”
B: “hey, john. good to see you. it’s great. every day is great. i’m so lucky to be here.”
and how lucky is dollar tree to have bob as a manager?
a man who truly loves his job
takes pride in all of it
is always smiling and helpful
knows exactly where every item in the store is located
and who happily learns the number for the new unicorn balloon.
in much the same way
that he appeared out of the blue
in the midst of a very heavy snow season
to ask if i would hire him to shovel my driveway
and disappearing just as suddenly
only to appear again
last weekend
wheeling his mower down the sidewalk
and stopping by
to ask if i would hire him to mow my lawn
soon after my lawn mower refused to start
the quiet, polite, hardworking kid with no name is back
and gone again.
—
“everybody is a hero in their own story if you just look.”
-maeve binchy
—
image credit: pincor products vintage advertising
one day
at the beginning of this long winter
a sweet kid not more than 14 years old
showed up at my front door
shovel in hand
wearing sweatshirt and gloves
quiet and polite
asking if i wanted to hire him
yes!
without a moment’s hesitation
soon he was at work
clearing my walks, my driveway, my porch
he charged me a very fair rate
looking to make some cash before christmas
lives with his mom
in an apartment nearby
i know nothing else about him
except that he works very hard
often appears without warning
just in time
to clear my path and then
is gone again as soon as he’s finished his work
i’ve no way to contact him
sometimes i see his steps and shovel marks
signs that he’s stopped over
but our timing was off
and now
on this weekend
with the long days of deep snow
he’s nowhere to be found
oh, where, oh, where,
is the kid with the shovel?
and so
i am paying myself
getting a free workout
day after day
i’m sure i’ll see him again
maybe when it’s time
to move dirt
for the gardens.
—
“never doubt the power of love or one woman with a shovel.”
-carrie newcomer