I won't call him by name, because he'd probably object, but I just want to write something about him. Today, he came over to use his new saw and his electric drill/screwdriver and help me put up some built in shelves (in my office for books, a printer and a dozen other items that clutter up a smallish desk). He then helped cut and mount another shelf adjacent to my outdoor grill. With his help these jobs were completed in about a fourth of the time it would have taken me.
He just did it because we were talking about how I'm progressing in creating a space to use as my home "office" in what was once a small third bedroom. Just because you never know how much "sleepover" space you'll need, we have retained the bed, this meant I had to be creative about what I did with the rest of the space. I found a "Murphy" desk that folds down from the wall when you want to use it, and can be folded back up when not in use. You may think I have wandered off onto another tangent here, but guess who helped me mount the desk about a month ago? Yet another instance of his just pitching in when he sees the opportunity.
This is a new residence for us, and we handled the move by ourselves for the most part, hiring a truck and a couple of men to handle only the largest pieces. In any event, on the two days we spent packing and moving, he insisted on coming over to help. I say "insisted" and I mean it. He wouldn't take no for an answer. He is always alert for the opportunity to help his friends in this way. I have only rarely had the chance to return the favor, because he will often have it already done on his own before he mentions whatever his project is.
f course I am not the only beneficiary, we had an old friend relocate here a few weeks ago, and there my friend was, helping them paint their house in advance of moving in, and helping repair things that needed it and more. I was able to join him in helping assemble a giant wine cooler/cellar in our friend's garage. He was there with his electric drill, having the time of his life. The directions suggested this job could be done in two days with two people involved. I will grant you there were four of us doing it the other day, but we finished in two hours, partly due to his being "really good at screwing," as we stated it, and partly due to his keeping all of us on the move. There are likely dozens of others just around here who have received his cheerful, valuable help in the past few years, more so since he retired.
My personal trainer (she is also his) and I were talking about him and I said he embodies paying it forward. She said he had once said to her he was making up for a lot of bad karma from his past. I've known him for forty-five years, I told her, and I have never seen him behave selfishly. It's not in his makeup. We concluded by simply saying how much help he will have earned from so many if he ever is in need. I hope it never happens, but if it does, I hope the Good Lord or the forces of karma, or whatever guides this world, allows me to be there and pay back just a small fraction of what I have seen him do for others.
It's my hope as well that all of you, at least once, cross paths with someone like him. He never ceases to amaze, and it is my privilege to call him my friend.
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