We Learn from Others

More from my journal. This was posted 3/20/91. Place this in the category of counting your blessings and being thankful for what you have.

There is a gentleman at our plant whose disposition is pleasant and infectious. He greets you always with a smile and a salutation which includes your name. He is enthusiastic in everything he attempts from saying hello in the morning to mopping the canteen floor after the day's activity.

He works very hard to remember names, priding himself on the fact that he knows all but one name on first shift. However, he planned to acquaint himself the very day.

To engage him in conversation instills one with envy. How can he be so happy with recessions, war, and the ever present threat of layoff? Why he accentuates the positives in life mystifies his every listener for you see, he has no right arm only an artificial appendage with a hook.

When you marvel at this man, you do not notice his "deficiency". We perceive it as a deficiency while his opposite viewpoint allows him to be upbeat. He had two choices to make after his accident. He could have followed the path to self pity or taken the route to recovery and self accomplishment. He chose the latter.

I sometimes hate getting up and plodding to work. He is lucky to be working and looks forward to each work day. People often annoy me. People interest him. He talks to them, smiles at them, and shows genuine interest in their feelings.

I plan to learn from this man. He has made me realize that I am blessed with much. I am thankful to God and to him for lifting the film from my eyes.