The People You Meet Along the Way

Day two of my business trip to the Maryland office. I spent the whole morning training, and it was great. I understood what was being said to me, and caught on lickity-split! I just don't want to forget everything by the time I actually take over these responsibilities come July. Yes, a long way away, but I am taking diligent notes.

I actually just got back from lunch with my boss and my three co-workers from this office down here. My boss's boss is down here for the day as well, so I think dinner tonight will be with him and the boss. But drinks afterwards with Bo is on the agenda.

Let me tell you a little bit about Bo!

Bo works out in the warehouse and drives one of the fork-lifts. That in it of itself would normally be plenty for me! I mean, c'mon! What a cool freaking job!! But the fact of the matter is that Bo actually used to be in charge of the warehouse and shipping/distribution operations. No, he didn't get demoted. He almost died.

Two years ago, Bo needed back surgery. While it wasn't classified as a risky procedure, it was still considered serious, as anything involving your back and surgery should be. But while in the hospital and recovering, he got a staph infection and nearly died. Doctors weren't even sure if he was going to be able to walk again since the infection reached his spine. After a year of sabbatical and in and out of the hospital, Bo is alive and well, if not for a slight limp. His decision to resign as the Head Honcho was contingent on his being allowed to stay on and drive the fork-lift, since it was always something he wanted to do. He now works for life instead of lives for work. He cherishes his wife and family like no other man I've met and it is reassuring that there really are good men out there like Bo.

I first met Bo on my first trip down here last December. The trip was brief because I was stuck on a plane for 6 hours and by the time I actually made it to Maryland, we pretty much just turned around and went home. But in the brief encounter I had with this man, there was a level of understanding that was forged between us and a genuine liking for each other.

When I got down here yesterday and saw him, he gave me a big ol' bear hug! It was the nicest welcome I think I have ever received anywhere! And with Bo being a big guy (at least 6'2" and 225lbs), it is an easy thing to feel the sense of security and warmth when he wraps his arms around you. He tells you like it is, he is reliable for up-to-the-moment information in the warehouse, has one of the most magnetic personalities I know, and he has the most honest smile I think I have ever seen. It is most difficult to not be enamoured! :)

As he took me through the warehouse showing me some things I needed to see, we discussed the issues that needed to be addressed between our company and our sister company in Chicago. The conversation was easy, jokes were humorous, and his confidence in my abilities to get the job done was evident, very much appreciated and greatly confidence boosting. If Bo tells you that you're doing a good job, you're doing a GREAT job. Praise doesn't come easily from him, and his word is gospel around here.

When he asked how long I was going to be in town for and I said Friday, he immediately said, "We'll go for drinks tomorrow night." It wasn't a question, just a matter of fact, as if it were planned all along. So I am looking forward to this evening for drinks with Bo. My boss will probably be there, too, but I don't even mind. It is absolutely impossible to not be smiling in Bo's presence and that is exactly what I need right now.

It really is the people you meet along the way in life. You don't have to know them for very long for them to change something in you. You just need to let them in a little bit, and let them work their wonders!