Do what you like. Like what you do.

There is something inspiring about a person who has a positive, enthusiastic attitude.

It is really lovely when you find someone who is positively passionate about their work. Right off the bat I'm thinking of you, Rod (Discipleship), Karla (teaching/loving others), PR (teaching tennis), JL (guiding fly-fishing) , Cassie (compassionate nursing) and Smitty (teaching downhill skiing.)

Here are a few stories that have inspired me lately:

Last year I called Southwest Airlines because I was having trouble booking a complicated trip online. It was expensive and I wanted to use some frequent flyer funds. The agent could have easily given me the deep sigh and the rigmarole, but she didn't. In fact, she said, 'I am sure I can help you. Give me your information and let's see how we can save you some money.' By the time she was finished, she had saved me over 900 dollars! Wow! What was cool was that she seemed almost as excited about it as I was. She loved her job.

 A couple weeks ago I had to call the Berkeley County Tax Office because when we got our property tax bill we almost fainted. I expected the worst, but the lady who helped me was amazing. She told me that we needed to fill out a form that she would mail me immediately and our tax bill would be much less. She was very helpful, and she seemed glad to do it. Yesterday we got a big refund check in the mail. Nice.

For the past five years our family has been blown away by the warmth and the, 'What can we do to make your day better,' attitude of the Roaring Fork Club staff in Basalt, Colorado and the Roaring Fork Mountain Club at Snowmass. They set the bar really high when it comes to service. Thank you, Teri, Jan, Cindy, Marian, Chris, Nancy, Amy, JL, Dede, Steve, David, Stephanie, Karen, Jim, (Ted, Kakie,) and so many others, for always making us feel special.

Here'a another example: Thanksgiving 2008. I worked 9AM-9PM in the ER. I went home, grabbed a snack, packed a bag, got in Geoff's little car and headed southeast at 11 PM. He needed his car in Fort Bragg, NC, and I promised to drive it to him. I drove 4 hours and slept for four hours. I still had sixteen hours to go, but when I got up I had two flat tires! I called Geoff and he told me that they leaked air sometimes, so I drove next door to the gas station, aired them up and hit the road. I kept checking them and they kept losing air, and by the time I got to East Memphis I was getting nervous. I was praying for the Lord to help me. I finally pulled into a tire store. When I walked in I saw that they were busy. It was Friday of Thanksgiving weekend, and I wondered if they would laugh at me for showing up without an appointment. A man asked if he could help me. I said, 'I hope so.' I briefly told him the story. He didn't miss a beat. He looked at one of his mechanics and said, 'Take that car down and put this lady's car up there right now.' I couldn't believe it. The tears welled up in my eyes and I squeaked out a 'thank you so much.' He checked the car out thoroughly, and refused to sell me more than two tires, because, he explained, 'the other two are fine, and I'm not going to sell you something you don't need.' He assured me that I would be safe all the way to Fort Bragg, and sent me on my way. As I was driving through Alabama I was reflecting on what he did for me: He made me feel like I was important and worth his time and effort. He listened to my problem and went to work to fix it. I realized that I, as an ER nurse, had the opportunity to do the same thing for my patients. This man from Tennessee inspired me to be better at my job.

Then there's Smitty. I mentioned Smitty in my first blog and promised there would be more to follow. Smitty has been a ski instructor for forty years. He is, in my opinion, a the poster boy for the slogan, 'Do what you like. Like what you do.' He loves to help folks learn to ski so they will love to ski. His enthusiasm is contagious. His wife tells him that it's a good thing he gets paid to do it, because he would do it for free. He smiles and agrees. When we ski with Smitty we smile a lot too.

Here's to all the Smittys out there!