He walks the neighborhood nearly every day wearing a lightweight utility vest and a big toothy smile. The belt loop under his round belly holds unopened garbage bags and he pulls one out when his pockets get full. He picks up cans, paper, and plastic. And he waves at everyone who drives by.

He’s Santa dressed like a handyman, fixing up the neighborhood and spreading good cheer.

In the morning, when I drive to the gym, I approach slowly so I can watch his face light up with each passing car. People honk. People wave. People smile. This guy’s our small town angel – an anchor to goodness, to kindness, and to love.

It’s been years now that I’ve watched him perform this daily ritual and I’ve come to appreciate him as a teacher with a simple lesson plan:

Walk every day.

Leave beauty in your wake.

Smile at everyone you meet.

Sounds like the quite a life purpose, doesn’t it?

Every time I catch him doing his thing, I’m reminded that we can all make a difference right in our own back yards.

This man has never been on Oprah, doesn’t have a blog, and I suspect he’s not familiar with Facebook. And yet every week he touches the lives of hundreds of people.

He certainly touches mine.

It doesn’t take much to make your mark in the world.

And that’s a good thing to remember today .

 

Video of the Week

This week’s video demonstrates a clever way to celebrate a birthday.  Way to go, Joe!  You can watch it, here.