Inspiration In Unlikely Places

Perhaps the title of the piece is misleading. After all, why should I find it odd that I found a role model in a woman with eight decades plus under her belt? It is very fitting that those with life experience should become our mentors, friends, and sources of inspiration.

I'd like to introduce you to my friend and former co-worker, Doris. She is the genuine article when it comes to common sense, work ethic, and feistiness. While not an imposing figure physically, being just a little over five feet tall, one only has to be in her presence for a short time to know that this is one vital lady, and one to be reckoned with.

For four years, this lady came to work daily, five days a week, four hours a day. The weather mattered none, despite living in northern Ohio and relying on a cane to aid her ambulation. She enjoyed just about any work that was given her, but she excelled at keeping things organized. While she often scoffed at the importance of her tasks, many of which were clerical in nature, she did hem with zeal and the office could not have managed without her.

She added something else that could not be measured; her quick smile, a willing attitude, a graciousness that is timeless. Try as you might, you can't cultivate those attributes in a person; they either have them or they don't. And the positivism that is added to the office foray is priceless from such a person. Never one to sit idle, she would look for tasks to do when that at hand had been completed. When admonished to just relax for a few minutes, she would reply she didn't feel she was earning her keep if she did so.

You might wonder how much this gem of a woman earned for her earnestness. She earned not one thin dime in monetary terms, but she did earn respect and gratitude from her co-workers. She earned a feeling of belonging, and of usefulness. Doris earned the right to be needed for more than her grandmotherly or motherly skills. She garnered self-esteem and fought off the apathy of days without purpose. And yet, with all that, we owed her far more than she gleaned.

I am forever richer as a person for having known this incredible person. And the lesson here, I think, is that we never know from whence inspiration will come. Let's keep our hearts and minds open, and perhaps one day, we will also inspire someone, if only a fraction of what Doris has given to me. Age is no barrier; it is our preconceived notions that get in the way of seeing what is right in front of us.

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