Lessons from My Dad and the Mailman

There was a story on CBS Sunday Morning this morning about Mike the Mailman, a fellow who works at a local post office in Pennsylvania where he does his job, but makes people feel great while doing it. He says it’s just what he does, but people literally go in to buy stamps they don’t need simply because he leaves them with a smile by the little things he says and does.  He makes them feel good. The message of the story: it’s not what you do, it’s how you do it.

That got me thinking about my dad again. He had a similar theory in life: it doesn’t matter WHAT you decide to be in life, just be the best at it!

My father was a mechanic.  And he was the best damn mechanic you ever met.  He was a whole lot more, too.  The man could fix anything around the house with a hammer and a roll of duct tape, and he was also really good at mending broken hearts.

He didn’t care what his children chose to do with their lives, as long as they were happy.  He took great pride in our accomplishments, knowing we had learned his lessons.  We all wanted to be THE BEST, and learned how to make that happen from his great example.