Impressions

Every day we have the opportunity to touch people that we come across in our lives.  Some of these people are in our lives on a daily basis, some we see every now and again while others we may meet once never to see them a second time.

No matter what category these people fall into, we’ve all been given the chance to touch those people and make a difference in their lives.  We’ve also been given the gift of free will so how we decide to affect others is truly our choice.  Rest assured, no matter who we come in contact with, we will make an impression one way or the other – it’s up to us whether that impression is positive or negative.

Prior to a recent trip, I got my shoes shined up nice and spiffy at the airport.  The gentleman’s name that shines shoes at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina is Horace and if you’ve ever flown out of the US Airways terminal at PTI, I’d put down a pretty good wager that you know who I’m talking about. 

Horace makes an hour and a half commute each day to run his business and help support his family.  He is a great person, does a great job with his work and consistently tells me how blessed he feels that I have become a part of his life - whether I get my shoes shined or not.

I can count on one hand how many times Horace has shined my shoes.  The fact of the matter is that I’m the one who is blessed to have him in my life.

I’m blessed because Horace has a certain way of putting things in perspective.  It is so easy to get caught up in what we have to do the next week, the next day, the next hour that we forget to smile.  From personal experience, I can tell you that Horace doesn’t forget to smile. 

As important as it is to do our best to make a positive impression in lives of other people, no matter how long we may know them, it is just as important to realize the times that people have the same effect on us.  Maybe even more importantly, we need to take the time to be grateful for those encounters.

Horace has taught me a lot in the short time that I’ve known him and I believe we can all learn a few things from him.

-          No matter how many miles you’ve gone in your shoes, there is always room for an extra one

-          It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you do what you can to put your best foot forward

-          Strive to learn something about those that you meet because you may just learn something about yourself

-          Never forget to smile when you talk to people because smiling always brightens someone’s day

If you are ever flying out of PTI in Greensboro and you need your shoes shined, I know the perfect guy for the job. 

You’ll come to find that as great a job as Horace does shining your shoes he’ll do an even better job at shining your soul.