Always Personal…

I must confess, I’ve got the Willies.

Willie is a 72 year old shoe shine man with a heart as big as Texas. He has become my friend, my mentor, my own Dr. Phil. During my breaks at work, Willie and I sit together, chit chat, and often “try” to solve the world’s problems. Willie has worked at my Kelly Square office building for many, many years. The sign above his shoe shine stand say’s “antiques.” Willie might be old, but his life has rare wisdom, I call Willieism’s.

Willie is a safe place. He’s a simple man who wears pretty much the same clothes every day. He wears a cap, faded t-shirt, khaki pants, and scuffed up black shoes. He’s a large, black man with a scraggly grey beard. Attorneys, doctors, women, children, and all kinds of people are drawn to sit and talk with Willie. He’s a gentle giant, a grandfather figure, the Kelly Square Teddy Bear. As a counselor, I sit and listen to a lot of people and sometimes I need a break. Willie sits and listens to me. He’s my safe place because he’s available, approachable, and willing to connect. Who is your Willie? Who is your safe place? Charlie Tremendous Jones says, “The only things that will make us different in five years are the books we read and the people we hang around.” Do you hang around any Willies? If you want to be a safe place, you’ve got to have the Willies.

Willie is a servant. Willie has his daily routine of taking out the trash and shining shoes. He’s not the most eloquent speaker but he is a servant. To me, he’s a man of the cloth. The cloth is a universal symbol of washing, cleaning, and serving. That is what servant leadership is all about. On Valentines Day, I had a brilliant idea. I wanted to show my appreciation to Willie in a practical way.  “Willie I want to give you a Valentine’s present. Can I shine your shoes?” Willie looked at me for a moment and said, “O.K. young man.” He climbed up onto the shoe shine stand. I asked him how come he hadn’t shined his own scuffed up shoes. He said he was so busy shining everyone else’s shoes he hadn’t taken time to shine his own. Even Willies need to give and receive. For the next few minutes I became a man of the cloth. I polished, brushed, and shined Willies shoes. We laughed, connected, and shared our hearts. Then I said, “How about my $5 dollars.” It felt so good to serve and bring a smile to Willies face. If you want to be a servant, you’ve got to have the Willies!

Willie is slow and steady. He never gets in a hurry. He takes his time and is steady as the rising and setting of the sun. It’s been said, slow and steady wins the race. Most of us are so busy living our lives as fast as the Indy 500. We’re racing from one activity to another convincing ourselves we are good enough. I’m guilty. My own mother says she has to make an appointment to talk with me, and she lives in my house! Willie lives in the moment. He enjoys his glass of tea in the sunshine. He’s content with who he is and is not caught up in the rat race. I love that about Willie. Willie teaches us to slow down, be steady, and enjoy the journey. If you want to slow down and be steady, you’ve got to have the Willies!

Would you agree that the world needs more Willies? How many Willies do we miss? Every person we meet has the potential to teach us something. Willie teaches us to be a safe place, to be a servant and be slow and steady.

Do you have the Willies?

Realize there’s a little Willie in every one of us. Now, go give someone the Willies!

 

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