Live Your Passion
Every day when I drive home from work I pass the same guy. He stands on the side of the road in front of a cell phone store with a sign and hollars and yells at people to try to entice them to come in and sign up for HIS cell service. It use to annoy me. I felt like I was being accosted everytime I drove by him. I avoided eye contact while talking on my iPhone. I generally tried to imagine he was not there.
After a few weeks, I started to feel sorry for this guy. His job was to stand on a busy street and hollar at the top of his lungs to get people to come to the storefront where he was employed. I started to smile at him as I drove by. Yesterday when I was sitting at the light, 1 car length ahead of where he was standing I could hear what he was saying. Among the "Come on in here, it's only $40 a month" and n"no hidden fees, $40 unlimited" He also was saying things like "You got yourself a pretty car there, Mister" and "Hello, Little Lady, you've got a beautiful tiara" to the child in the grocery-getter behind me. Hmmm.
Today, heading home for lunch, I pulled up next to him and again, gave him a shy little anemic smile. And like an auctioneer rambling on while toting his wares, he threw in a "And there's my pretty lady that smiles at me every day, Bless you, Darlin". Wow!
How many compliments has he handed out over the past months? How many people saw him as an annoyance? I viewed him like I view the people that run up to your car when you are stopped by the service drive and wash your windshield without your permission and then expect you to hand them a few bucks. this guy really was trying to spread some joy in the world while trying to make an honest buck. I like him. I'm gonna name him Clyde. Is his name Clyde? I have no idea, but he will always be Clyde in my mind.
Coming back from lunch I pondered further on Clyde and his outlook on life. For me, it would be hell standing on the side of a busy street holding a sign and hollaring myself horse day after day smelling exhaust fumes and being seen as a nuisance. But he was making the best of his world. Making a smile on a face or two every day, bringing some pocket change home and doing the job he was being paid to do with 100% of all he had to give.
We should all be so lucky. We should all commit ourselves 100% to the things that we do. I have often said, "You spend 1/3 of your life at work, ya better have a job that you love, or you will be miserable 1/3 of the time." It was so hard to leave the VA, but I was spending 1/3 of my time+ being miserable. My new job has a few downfalls, but all in all I am happy with were I am, the hours I hold and the money I make and like Clyde, I can make a difference in a few people's lives every day.
I have often told my son that I don't care what he does for a living when he grows up, as long as he is happy doing it. And by and large, that is the truth. While I want him to go to college, and have a good paying job with benefits, in the end the important thing is that he enjoys what he does and he does it well. The money is nice, and not having to worry about where it's gonna come from when the rent is due does easy the stress of the rest of your life, but it isn't everything.
Clyde, keep hollaring at the cars as they rush from hither and yon, keep talking to princesses in minivans and sheepish office workers rushing to lunch. Sell a few phones and give a few smiles. Enjoy what you do and you'll never work a day in your life!
After a few weeks, I started to feel sorry for this guy. His job was to stand on a busy street and hollar at the top of his lungs to get people to come to the storefront where he was employed. I started to smile at him as I drove by. Yesterday when I was sitting at the light, 1 car length ahead of where he was standing I could hear what he was saying. Among the "Come on in here, it's only $40 a month" and n"no hidden fees, $40 unlimited" He also was saying things like "You got yourself a pretty car there, Mister" and "Hello, Little Lady, you've got a beautiful tiara" to the child in the grocery-getter behind me. Hmmm.
Today, heading home for lunch, I pulled up next to him and again, gave him a shy little anemic smile. And like an auctioneer rambling on while toting his wares, he threw in a "And there's my pretty lady that smiles at me every day, Bless you, Darlin". Wow!
How many compliments has he handed out over the past months? How many people saw him as an annoyance? I viewed him like I view the people that run up to your car when you are stopped by the service drive and wash your windshield without your permission and then expect you to hand them a few bucks. this guy really was trying to spread some joy in the world while trying to make an honest buck. I like him. I'm gonna name him Clyde. Is his name Clyde? I have no idea, but he will always be Clyde in my mind.
Coming back from lunch I pondered further on Clyde and his outlook on life. For me, it would be hell standing on the side of a busy street holding a sign and hollaring myself horse day after day smelling exhaust fumes and being seen as a nuisance. But he was making the best of his world. Making a smile on a face or two every day, bringing some pocket change home and doing the job he was being paid to do with 100% of all he had to give.
We should all be so lucky. We should all commit ourselves 100% to the things that we do. I have often said, "You spend 1/3 of your life at work, ya better have a job that you love, or you will be miserable 1/3 of the time." It was so hard to leave the VA, but I was spending 1/3 of my time+ being miserable. My new job has a few downfalls, but all in all I am happy with were I am, the hours I hold and the money I make and like Clyde, I can make a difference in a few people's lives every day.
I have often told my son that I don't care what he does for a living when he grows up, as long as he is happy doing it. And by and large, that is the truth. While I want him to go to college, and have a good paying job with benefits, in the end the important thing is that he enjoys what he does and he does it well. The money is nice, and not having to worry about where it's gonna come from when the rent is due does easy the stress of the rest of your life, but it isn't everything.
Clyde, keep hollaring at the cars as they rush from hither and yon, keep talking to princesses in minivans and sheepish office workers rushing to lunch. Sell a few phones and give a few smiles. Enjoy what you do and you'll never work a day in your life!
posted by Angela | 13:40
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