Soaring With The Eagles

My Mom hung a sign next to my bed as a kid. It had a picture of someone dancing in the rain.

It read..

“It’s all a matter of attitude”.

A positive attitude was one of my superpowers. I wasn’t the best student or athlete, but teachers wanted me in their classroom, and coaches put me on their teams because of it.

Throughout my career, I was hired and promoted for being positive.

Somewhere along the way, I lost it. It happened when I started keeping score.

The more I earned, the more I believed I deserved. The better I did, the more often I looked at how someone else did.

It took me some time to figure it out; in fact, some days I am still learning that expectations and comparisons are the twin thieves that rob you of happiness.

I was reminded of how important a great attitude and a positive perspective are when I met an Uber driver named Wally at 5 AM this morning.

Here’s what happened.

“Chris?”

“Yep, that’s me.”

“Let’s go get it, Chris! You know what they say about the early bird, Chris.”

Wally had something to say about everything from the beauty of Christmas to the potential of the Philadelphia Eagles.

About five minutes into our ride, I asked Wally, how is it that you’re so upbeat at 5 AM?

I Learned why.

Wally came to the US from Liberia, Africa, with no money, and his younger brother to live with a family friend.

He immediately found a job at a Family Dollar store. But it wasn’t long before they were asked to leave because his brother ran up a huge phone bill by calling home frequently.

The next day at work, Wally told his manager, Greg, that they’d been evicted. Apparently, Wally was a standout at Family Dollar. Greg called his wife to ask if they could put Wally and his brother up until they got back on their feet.

And Greg’s wife agreed.

Wally happened to be the 2nd oldest of 6 boys. Growing up, he took care of everything and everyone. Wally’s family jokingly nicknamed him Sarah because he did the traditionally female jobs around the home.

Wally didn’t just take up space at Greg’s house; he took care of it - doing dishes, cleaning floors, making the beds, and looking after Greg’s two boys.

After 6 months, Wally saved enough money to get his own place for himself and his brother. Needless to say, Greg’s family was sad to see them go.

Wally never stopped working hard. And he always looked after others, with a positive outlook.

Over the years, Wally brought his parents and four other siblings to America. Today, they’re all citizens with families of their own. Wally and his wife are raising four children in Philly.

As we arrived at the airport, I asked Wally his secret to having such an incredibly positive attitude.

Wally responded…

“Expect less and give more.”

How Simple.

2023 has been a great year of lessons. I’m grateful to finish the last working day with this one.

Thanks, Wally. Peace.

And Go Birds!