“I think you have some shingles for me,” I said, as I greeted the driver of a delivery truck.”It says I’m supposed to put them in front of the garage…in front of the garage…in front of the garage.” He chuckled and pointed to the order form. Sure enough, there it was in capital letters, at least three or four times: “IN FRONT OF THE GARAGE.”I laughed at his joke. “Well, let me move my van so you can get them up the driveway and ‘in front of the garage!'”We finalized exactly where the materials would go, and I moved a few things I was planning to take over to Goodwill and had inadvertently left in front of the garage.After I moved the giveaway items and the van, I followed him down the driveway so that I could get the mail. As we walked, I asked, “How’s your day?”He moaned slightly and slumped his shoulders.”Uh oh!” I responded. “Not so good?”He shrugged.”What happened?” I asked.”Oh…” he began, changing his mind about what to say. “Well, I had a really good lunch.”I was about to climb into the van. “What did you have?””I had the 12-Spice Chicken Pasta at O’Charley’s. And they forgot my salad, so I got a free dessert. It was this caramel thing, and it was good.””That’s great! You got a surprise at lunch, so maybe things are looking up?” I proposed. “Maybe this means your day is taking a turn for the better!”He just laughed and turned back to the truck. Then he stood next to the forklift and pointed. “You ought to watch me drive this.””Is it cool enough I should call my young son to watch?””Well, I’ve had some kids—and a few adults—say, ‘That is soooo cool.'”Obviously, I had to stop and watch. “Okay, I’ll park my van and then we’ll watch you drive!”My son and I stood in the grass as he lowered the forklift from the flat bed, loaded the shingles, and drove up the concrete driveway.He even tooted the horn.As I snapped a few pictures, I told my son to smile big at the man to show how impressed he was. And give him a thumbs up. We practically applauded.When the show was over, I waved and headed inside as the man strapped and tightened everything down before heading to the next house and dropping off another load of shingles.It didn’t take long, maybe fifteen minutes, to admire someone who takes pride in a job well done.I hoped that we sent him off feeling better about his day and great about his work.Because he did do good work, positioning the shingles with great precision… directly in front of the garage.
Sheila Lagrand says
Ann,
This is a lovely piece about a topic dear to my heart. I especially like how you modeled this kind of affirmation for your son 🙂
But I’m looking for the photo of the neatly stacked shingles in front of the garage.
annkroeker says
🙂
Okay, I’ll go out and snap one…
Nancy says
I’m so glad you gave this man this gift of encouragement. Who knows how many times your kindness was multiplied by him throughout the rest of his day?
annkroeker says
Oh, I do hope so! Thank you for your note, Nancy.
Simply Darlene says
I drove a forklift once… and the results were ugly. I knocked over a unit of lumber and had to re-stack the whole thing by hand (for the 2nd time that day). Indeed, a job well-done deserves some kudos! As does a gooey dessert.
Blessings.
annkroeker says
Shoot, you’re right! I should have brought him a brownie!
I’m impressed that you gave the forklift a try. He was able to spin it around in a tight maneuver and lower the pallets “just so” on top of the others. It was precise work.
Hazel I Moon says
I give the gentleman a thumbs up for starting to rant about his bad day and changing it to a positive note — even including their error but keeping it light by adding the desert. I am glad your son was able to watch the workman. I know the gentleman left feeling pretty chipper after your applause and all!
annkroeker says
Hazel, I agree wholeheartedly with you–that this man chose not to complain, even when I invited him to. I should be so strong to resist the temptation.
Linda says
You both gave him a precious gift Ann. It is moments like this that truly make an impact on the people we meet. I am so proud of you and your son.
annkroeker says
I hope he felt better knowing that one person was willing to listen. He seemed so bummed that day…
Diana Trautwein says
Oooh, this is just lovely story-telling, Ann! And you had a lovely story to tell, too. I join the others in thanking you for your sweet encouragement to this fellow traveler. This is what it’s about, I think, when Jesus tells us to welcome the stranger as if he were Jesus himself. Thanks.
annkroeker says
Diana, thank you so much for your comment.
Andrea says
Oh how I wish I had read this this morning! I could have used the encouragement to make “a turn for the better” in this day…I did have chocolate pound cake at Bible Study though! And your piece did turn this evening into better than my day!
Thanks, I’m expecting and thanking God for a better attitude and hence a better Wednesday!
Blessings.
annkroeker says
Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t respond to you right away–sounds like you could have used a listening ear, as well.
May God lift you up this week!
Sheila Lagrand says
Ooooh, those shingles are indeed artfully and precisely stacked!
On another note, I’ve never seen a garage with a “little garage door” facing the street. What a great idea!
annkroeker says
There’s actually a turn…so the drive goes up from the road, and then it turns left toward the garage. So if you’re standing in front of the house, you’d see the windows of the garage instead of the door. It’s all visible, though. 🙂
David Rupert says
We need to find ways to affirm those around us, especially those engaged in physical, menial or repetitive jobs.
Elizabeth says
I can’t imagine you mean any harm by your comment David but I just want to say that as someone who has chosen a livelihood filled with physical, menial and repetitive jobs, I find there’s great Joy in the work and I don’t need any extra affirmation. In fact, I would find that extra affirmation to be patronizing, especially if it seemed to come from the assumption that I’m less fortunate and therefore less happy than you. No matter where we are in the workplace, we ALL need affirmation AND, more importantly, RESPECT for the work we’re doing. Undermining the value of physical work has, in our culture, created a destructive gap between us as a people – the middle & upper classes enjoying the ease and privilege built on the backs of working folks. There are very real issues of inequality here and developing a paternal attitude only perpetuates the cycle (see Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Freire). What’s needed, and what I would have liked to have seen reflected in this piece, is an acknowledgement of how our own assumptions, lifestyles and behaviors contribute to some of the very processes we fight against.
Thanks for receiving my comments.
annkroeker says
Elizabeth, I know you were speaking to David, so I don’t mean to stick my nose in here when you are inviting a response from him, but I do want to thank you for your note. What you’ve said is very important. I’m glad to read of your joy in your work, and grateful for your bold, clear voice reminding us that we ALL need affirmation and respect.
I should have written with more care. Mostly I was recounting the interaction with a man who seemed discouraged that day, for reasons he chose not to share. He was proud of his ability to manipulate that forklift and invited me to watch; and I was pleased to take time to admire and applaud. If my retelling sounded disrespectful, I owe him an apology, because I am truly impressed with and grateful for his work, just as I felt toward the team of roofers who toiled without complaint in the summer heat all day, installing those shingles so that we could literally have a roof over our heads.
All of our work matters, whether it is indoors at a computer monitor or outside pouring concrete for a new bridge or delivering shingles for a homeowner’s new roof.
Elizabeth says
Ann, no I thought your story was lovely and should have prefaced my comment by saying that! What struck me about David’s comment was an underlying class dynamic that I sensed throughout your piece, though that could very well have been a projection on my end. But when I read his comment it popped back up, and I felt the need to share what it brought up for me…
I always enjoy reading what you have to say and I hope my comments didn’t cast a weight over the story you’ve shared here. It was a genuine and thoughtful piece.
Blessings,
Elizabeth
annkroeker says
Thank you for this follow-up; I appreciate you helping me consider this scene and interaction from a different angle. Your perspective is priceless.
Grateful for you, Elizabeth!
Ann
annkroeker says
Thanks for your comment–you are an encourager yourself!
Connie@raise your eyes says
Ann,
That man must be such a blessing to all in his life…he sees humor in simple things, and he chooses to focus on “whatever is good, whatever is worthy!” Thank you for blessing us with this story, friend.
All for GOD,
Connie
annkroeker says
I’m so glad you got a feel for his personality–I think you’re right about how positive and upbeat he is (and how that must bless others).