Everyday Heroes – The Local Entrepreneur
Our paths cross about four times a week. It is most likely going to happen after school and sometime before the evening meal. It will likely take place when I am outside working in my yard or maybe when I am coming or going from my home. Each time I am close to him I notice him watching me. When I he sees that he has caught my attention he greets me. If he can, he will always give me a chipper word or comment that is different from the last one. He will very likely ask, “How are you today?”
He may be the friendliest neighbour we have. Now I look forward to seeing him and talking to him if I can. In the last weeks I find myself stopping and rolling the window of the van down. Then we exchange words for that day.
I have noticed that he does this with everyone he meets.
Last week he was bringing his sunshine to each one that he met on the street. That evening it would likely mean connecting with about six people before completed our block. With him was a younger fellow that was listening closely to what he was saying. The younger fellow was being taught be his senior. You could see him looking closely at each of his mentor’s actions and taking in all his words. It was quite inspiring to watch them. As I looked on, the older fellow looked up, caught me looking, and waved as I drove by. His younger protégé looked on with puzzled interest. In my mind I could hear what he was thinking, “Am I suppose to know that older man too?”
I hope you are asking who this “Local Entrepreneur” is. Meet my paper boy. This year he just began his Grade 9. He has been my paper boy for about two years I believe. For two years, that is his Grade 7 & 8 and now into Grade 9, he has continued his cheerful engagement of his customers.
He pulls a wagon filled to the brim with heavy newspapers. The wagon had a new addition. The weather in our area has been one constant rain after another. It has not been good weather for a dry newspaper to arrive at our door. He realized that and to keep his customers happy he had added a new feature to the wagon. He attached the old Campaign Signs of our local municipal election candidate to the top of his wagon by wiring it to the side. Each time he needed a paper for the next house he lifted the lid and extracted one. The plastic sign kept his wagon dry.
This past week he had the younger boy with him, maybe a Grade Sixer, and together they were going through the delivery route. He was preparing the young fellow for his job I assume. I imagine that our paper boy has holidays coming up – maybe going to Florida for the Christmas Holidays. Now he needs to get a new man ready for the task and keep his customers happy.
As I paused to think of the tutoring session on the sidewalk the other day, I had a nagging thought. Could it be that my Grade 9 paper boy was giving up our route? Maybe head office was requiring his services on another route? My thoughts told me that I wasn’t in favour of that at all. This was our local hero and he was doing a great job of tying our community together. We need him to stay forever.
I did get a hint however or what might be in days to come. In September, just after Grade 9 classes began, I talked with him at the end of my driveway. I asked him how school was going and he smiled. It was the second day I think. His reply said it all. “One girl already asked me out.”
Stop and think about that statement and the grin on his face. It was the second day of school. He is in GRADE 9 for goodness sake! “One” should be noticed here in his statement. There was a strong expectation that “Two”, “Three” and maybe even “Four” would show before the end of the term (or even the week). The charm that this short little dude has exuded so well on our street was now in his new high school and classroom. He was wowing the hearts and minds of the Grade 9 girls with a smoothness that is amazing.
This fellow is a hero. He is so good at what he does. But most of all he really, really means what he says and people around him are attacked to him.
Pause here…
In a new Time Magazine there is an advertisement from IBM that asks two questions. On the page are these words… “What do you see?” and “What does your CEO see?” There is a very unusual coloured print that has a number of pictures of people woven into it. Very clever I thought. I spent the better part of 20 minutes trying to find the pictures inside the pictures.
At the bottom of the ad in very small print is the IBM warning about the use of their Trade Mark logos. It states that “IBM, and the IBM logo are properties of IBM.. yadda yadda yadda…” One small line included in the logo warning is the fact that IBM OWNS THE WORDS – “what makes you special?” and states that these words are trade-marks and registered trade-marks of the company.
Combining Two Thoughts…
IBM has not yet met my paper boy! He coined the words and lives the words. He has potential that few CEOs have ever dreamed about. He is the WOW Factor of our community. He has me in his palm.
I imagine that IBM or some other company will be looking for this young fellow someday.
He is my local hero.
~ Pastor Murray ~
Meet my hero…
He may be the friendliest neighbour we have. Now I look forward to seeing him and talking to him if I can. In the last weeks I find myself stopping and rolling the window of the van down. Then we exchange words for that day.
I have noticed that he does this with everyone he meets.
Last week he was bringing his sunshine to each one that he met on the street. That evening it would likely mean connecting with about six people before completed our block. With him was a younger fellow that was listening closely to what he was saying. The younger fellow was being taught be his senior. You could see him looking closely at each of his mentor’s actions and taking in all his words. It was quite inspiring to watch them. As I looked on, the older fellow looked up, caught me looking, and waved as I drove by. His younger protégé looked on with puzzled interest. In my mind I could hear what he was thinking, “Am I suppose to know that older man too?”
I hope you are asking who this “Local Entrepreneur” is. Meet my paper boy. This year he just began his Grade 9. He has been my paper boy for about two years I believe. For two years, that is his Grade 7 & 8 and now into Grade 9, he has continued his cheerful engagement of his customers.
He pulls a wagon filled to the brim with heavy newspapers. The wagon had a new addition. The weather in our area has been one constant rain after another. It has not been good weather for a dry newspaper to arrive at our door. He realized that and to keep his customers happy he had added a new feature to the wagon. He attached the old Campaign Signs of our local municipal election candidate to the top of his wagon by wiring it to the side. Each time he needed a paper for the next house he lifted the lid and extracted one. The plastic sign kept his wagon dry.
This past week he had the younger boy with him, maybe a Grade Sixer, and together they were going through the delivery route. He was preparing the young fellow for his job I assume. I imagine that our paper boy has holidays coming up – maybe going to Florida for the Christmas Holidays. Now he needs to get a new man ready for the task and keep his customers happy.
As I paused to think of the tutoring session on the sidewalk the other day, I had a nagging thought. Could it be that my Grade 9 paper boy was giving up our route? Maybe head office was requiring his services on another route? My thoughts told me that I wasn’t in favour of that at all. This was our local hero and he was doing a great job of tying our community together. We need him to stay forever.
I did get a hint however or what might be in days to come. In September, just after Grade 9 classes began, I talked with him at the end of my driveway. I asked him how school was going and he smiled. It was the second day I think. His reply said it all. “One girl already asked me out.”
Stop and think about that statement and the grin on his face. It was the second day of school. He is in GRADE 9 for goodness sake! “One” should be noticed here in his statement. There was a strong expectation that “Two”, “Three” and maybe even “Four” would show before the end of the term (or even the week). The charm that this short little dude has exuded so well on our street was now in his new high school and classroom. He was wowing the hearts and minds of the Grade 9 girls with a smoothness that is amazing.
This fellow is a hero. He is so good at what he does. But most of all he really, really means what he says and people around him are attacked to him.
Pause here…
In a new Time Magazine there is an advertisement from IBM that asks two questions. On the page are these words… “What do you see?” and “What does your CEO see?” There is a very unusual coloured print that has a number of pictures of people woven into it. Very clever I thought. I spent the better part of 20 minutes trying to find the pictures inside the pictures.
At the bottom of the ad in very small print is the IBM warning about the use of their Trade Mark logos. It states that “IBM, and the IBM logo are properties of IBM.. yadda yadda yadda…” One small line included in the logo warning is the fact that IBM OWNS THE WORDS – “what makes you special?” and states that these words are trade-marks and registered trade-marks of the company.
Combining Two Thoughts…
IBM has not yet met my paper boy! He coined the words and lives the words. He has potential that few CEOs have ever dreamed about. He is the WOW Factor of our community. He has me in his palm.
I imagine that IBM or some other company will be looking for this young fellow someday.
He is my local hero.
~ Pastor Murray ~
Meet my hero…
posted by Murray Lincoln at
Saturday, November 18, 2006
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