The Ornery Man

Have you ever met a stranger who motivates you completely by just being themselves? Today my motivation is dedicated to the strangers in our lives who change our lives.

I work at a place that sells sandwiches and baked goods. I get to work in the morning with customers and if you have ever worked in a bakery in the early morning you learn that there are many people who come in regularly to get their daily fix of bagels, brownies, cookies, coffee, or whatever it is that they want. You get to know these people. You greet them by name and you learn what will make them smile and what will make them frown. They get to know you similarly. Then there are the regulars who aren't so regular. They come in maybe just once a week or even just once a month. But you still know them. Not by name, and you don't know a whole lot about them, just who they are and what they want. Today I speak of one of those customers. The "Tuesday Man" or as I call him, "The Ornery Man".

Some Tuesdays a man comes in and gets a sheet of pumpkin squares where I work and he always complains that the bottom of the pan is sticky. Well, 9 times out of 10 it actually is. That's what happens when you put frosting on stuff. So we wipe it down and continue on. It never stops there though. This man takes at least 10 minutes to place his order. Really?! What takes him so long? Can't he just order and then leave us be? Sometimes he even orders large amounts of things and isn't specific on what he wants. "Just put whatever on them" he once told me referring to 35 sandwiches he wanted. He sounds like the worst customer in the world right? Who does that? How can I tolerate him when he comes in some Tuesdays?

Here's how it works. What takes him 10 minutes to order is because he cares less about the stuff and the money it costs as he does about the people. He stops and actually talks to you. "How are you?" "I noticed your apron is really dirty what have you been making?" "You make how many cookies every day?" "Tell me what's going on." He sees the person helping him behind the counter as an actual person, not as some measly idiot who is only paid minimum wage because they didn't go to college and thus you can treat as an idiot. He sees YOU!

It doesn't stop at that though because there are a lot of people like that. Doesn't he get in the way of other customers if he takes 10 minutes to order? I have never once heard another customer complain about this man as they walk out the door. "I'll take care of theirs." This is what he says when he comes in. Most of the time he comes in he pays upwards of $20 for other peoples things. Just this morning a woman walked in the door while he was still ordering. He said, "Tell her it's her food is free today" and then he sat down to get out of the way. The woman ordered everything she needed and I got it all ready for her. I then explained that her food was free today. I never give the man credit I just tell them they don't owe me anything. Why would he do that? For what comes next. People get a look of wonder and amazement. At first they are slightly confused and check in their brains that it is not April Fool's Day. Then they realize I'm serious and say thank you and walk away with a smile on their face. It makes their day completely! The man always tells me, "What is a few dollars for a smile? That person is going to have a great day today. Over what? A couple of bucks! That's it!" This man does not drive a fancy car. He is not extremely wealthy. He is just a man who enjoys seeing the joy that other people experience.

So every Tuesday that this man comes in I make sure I am there to wait on him. To make all 35 sandwiches. To wipe the bottom of the pumpkin squares pan. To forget the rest of my job for 10 minutes. Why? Most people I know would then ask me "Is he married?" He's married with 4 kids. (FYI if you're single and a girl you don't think of every man as someone to marry. Sometimes you can just admire someone because of who they are and what they do. Not because you have a crush on them). It's because he is my favorite customer. He cherishes every day. He lives not for money or wealth, but for other people. He motivates me.

Today he came in and informed me that his job route is changing. He no longer comes through my small town and won't be stopping in anymore. This made me sad. It made him sad too. I don't even know this man's name and I was actually distraught that he wouldn't come in anymore. I thought to myself, "Who will pay for other people's food? How will people have good days anymore?" Then I realized that it's not just him that can do these things. Why can't I do things like that every now and then? Why can't I learn from this man's example and see people more than things or money?

So as much as I will miss this man and as much as he was a stranger to me he has changed my life. He has motivated me to become a better person. It's not that he was without challenges or trials. He has had plenty of those I found out, but he has learned to love people. So help everyone out! Love them! See the people! Amen.

The Mom I Hope To Be

In our lives we all have some sort of mentor. In the book I just read it was a random man walking along the highway for one young girl. For some people it's an older brother, a teacher, a bishop, a good friend. For each of us it's completely different. This person gives us advice when we truly need it and somehow they know exactly what to say. Many might say, "well, that's just like my Mom. She's always there for advice." But I know that not everyone has the greatest mom in the world and sometimes they have to look for help elsewhere. I'm one of the lucky ones. If you have never really known my mother then you have missed a huge blessing in your life. Although it is not Mother's Day I would like to say that this is what motivates me in my life today.

At work the other day I realized that I think I could live with my Mother for the rest of my life and have no problems. Do I want to grow up and hopefully get married someday? Yes, of course I do, but I'm just saying that if life happened that I needed to live with my mother for the rest of it then I would be just fine with that. I mentioned this to one of my co-workers while I was working and she said, "Really?! Oh I could never do that!" That is when I realized how blessed I am to have such a wonderful Mother.

I suppose it's actually a legacy. My Mother is so great because her Mother was so great! I suppose my Grandmother was so great because her Mother was so great and it probably continues back quite a ways. These women are selfless and kind and as close to perfect as most of us could ever get.

Just yesterday I was quite discouraged and I was telling my Mother about my own problems and what I had tried to make things better, but also how no matter what I tried I couldn't figure it out. I remember thinking, "What would my Mom tell me? What could she have to say that I haven't already tried?" Well, I don't know where it came from or how she knew what to say, but she knew exactly what to say. With all of her love and her wisdom she carefully tried to help me and let me know that I still had my own agency while she was at it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is my motivation today is my Mom. Not necessarily because she gave me life or because she makes dinner every night. But, because she knows exactly what I need and how I need it. She gives me good reason to keep going on my darkest days. Sometimes I like to think that she was like me when she was my age and that by some miracle I could learn to be like her while going through this life. So as amazing as I may think I am or you may think I am, my Mom is even more AMAZING! She doesn't even need Amazing tagged on to her name because it is engraved in every action of every day. So look to those people in your life that are Amazing! Let them motivate you to be better. Let them help you keep going. It doesn't have to be your Mom. It doesn't even have to be anyone you know really well. Just find them and keep going!

The Sun Will Shine

Simply put, nature motivates me. As I walked into work this morning I heard the birds chirping. Amazing! Birds! Then I saw the blooms on all of the trees! I live among many orchards so it makes the world particularly beautiful when it is blooming season. As the day progressed I found that the weather was turning away from blue skies. However, to me this is one of the most beautiful things in the world! I love rain! I love rain clouds! I love the world! "Whenever I hear the song of a bird or look at the blue, blue sky. Whenever I feel the rain on my face or the wind as it rushes by. Whenever I touch a velvet rose or walk by a lilac tree, I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world Heavenly Father created for me." That's right, I am even grateful for the wind! It brings good change.

Whatever it is that is happening outside I can find something every day that lets me know that I can do life. I can do hard things! This is what I love about life. The simple things all around can help you out. I once heard a story about the aftermath of a terrible disaster. There was nothing remaining. All of the trees were dead and buildings were not doing so well either. Amidst the rubble though, a small girl was going about collecting leaves that somehow still remained. She had found that small ray of hope on the cloudiest day. I am motivated to keep going and to someday be like this girl. I will search for the beauty amidst the rubble.

Thank You For Helping Me Stand

If you haven't figured it out yet, I LOVE music. I am not a massively talented musician because I never put in enough time to become one. However, I do dabble and I enjoy it immensely. I love all kinds of music. As Tim McGraw once put it, "It's just good music if you can feel it in your soul." I 100% agree. One type of music I really enjoy is hymns. My mother was always playing the hymns and the primary children's hymns growing up. My father would sing along. I learned the hymns. Not just a few, but most of them and most of the verses. I often hear that memorizing scriptures is helpful to many people at many times. They can pop up in your mind when you need them most. This is music for me.

Often times I hear a song, remember it, it comes to me at a time I need it, and then I don't think of the song much after I have gotten the strength I needed from it. For example, any time someone talks about forgiveness I think of a song that says, "I've been trying to get down to the heart of the matter... and I think it's about forgiveness!" This only pops up with forgiveness.

Today my motivation is one song that pops up more than once. This song has given me incredible strength when I have needed it. I don't attach it to a single memory or subject. It is simply attached to life on occasions when I really need it. In the 3rd verse of "How Firm a Foundation" the words read:

Fear not, I am with thee

O be not dismayed

For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.

I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand

Upheld by my righteous omnipotent hand

How glorious these words are to my soul! "For I am they God and will still give thee aid". No matter what has happened, no matter how we feel, He will still give you aid! Have I felt this strength? Have I felt this help? Have I been lifted off my feet to stand? Yes a thousand times over. He truly is omnipotent (all powerful)! For these reasons I cannot fear. This song comes to me only at certain times. You know how during the Cold War there was a man sitting in a hole with a button that would send a nuclear bomb as a last resort? How when there was nothing left then this man would be told to push the button because they couldn't risk what was going to happen? Well, "Fear not, I am with thee" turns up when I feel ready to alert the man with the button. When I don't know what to do and I've tried really hard to know. He helps me stand.

It's Personal

Each of us can find something that motivates us. Something we look to when we don't feel great and need a bit of advice and uplifting. The scriptures definately fit under this category. However, there are days when I, personally, need something else. Days when I read and see what I have learned and what I know should help, but for some reason isn't helping (probably a lack of something on my part). On these days I turn to something else that uplifts me! Something that says, "You can do hard things and don't forget that they are possible!"

This is my motivation of the day: Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. That's right! I find great strength and inspiration from my favorite movie. If you have never seen it then please don't judge it. Just go watch it. The movie perfectly describes me. At first it may seem like a kids movie, but as you watch you may realize that there are things you would not have understood when you were seven. So I share two of my favorite parts.

In the movie Mr. Magorium (played by Dustin Hoffman) gives his store manager/friend Molly Mahoney (played by Natalie Portman) a congreve cube. He sees it for exactly what it is, a block of wood! He also sees it for what it can be. He asks Mahoney to believe in the block of wood. As it turns out, anything is possible.

Another part I wanted to share is also from Mr. Magorium. He is speaking to Mahoney and tells her, "your life is an occasion; rise to it." We are currently in what President Packer would call the second act of a three act play. My life (and your life) is an occasion! I have the opportunity to live in a world and become something more than I was when I started. The time is short and may seem difficult, but it is an occasion and should be treated as such. So love life!

The end.