\u201cInspiration is very polite,\u201d says Mary Pipher. \u201cShe knocks softly and goes away if you don\u2019t answer.\u201dSometimes she tiptoes in when we least expect her to. If we’re paying attention, she brings a gift.<\/p>\n
I didn’t expect her to come dressed as a handyman.<\/p>\n
As the new decade was arriving, I moved into a wonderful apartment in Minneapolis which was my home for almost six years. From time to time,\u00a0 I would see Lee, the resident handyman, in the halls and noticed that he always seemed to be smiling.<\/p>\n
One day, I had a testy dishwasher and Lee showed up to fix it. As he was setting things up, I asked him if he worked exclusively for our property manager.<\/p>\n
He spun around and said, \u201cNo! I have my own business.\u201d He opened his jacket and showed me his t-shirt which bore the name and logo of his company.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo how long have you worked for yourself?\u201d I asked. For the next several minutes, I was captivated as he told my his story.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lee had been studying veterinary medicine when his wife died tragically in a boating accident. Since he had two young children, he found it too difficult to be a full-time student and care for them so he quit school, not sure about what he would do next.<\/p>\n
A friend , who owned a small apartment building, offered to give them a place to live in exchange for doing handyman work. \u201cThat was the last apartment I lived in,\u201d Lee recalled.<\/p>\n
Before long, he bought a rundown house, moved in, fixed it up and sold it for a nice profit. Then he did it again. And again.<\/p>\n
Along the way, he decided to learn about investing and put some of his profits into the stock market. He discovered he was good at that, too. As all of this was happening, he continued to grow his plumbing\/handyman business.<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil two years ago,I didn\u2019t even have a listed telephone number,\u201d he laughed. \u201cI guess I could retire, but why should I? I just love driving around in my truck with all my tools.<\/p>\n
“And I get to learn new things all the time. That thing I just did to your dishwasher? I\u2019ve never done that before.\u201d He was beaming as he made this confession.<\/p>\n
That little conversation with someone who was so obviously joyful about being self-employed kept me going all day. And I\u2019m willing to bet that my genuine curiosity about Lee\u2019s life made his day better, too.<\/p>\n
Come to think of it, that conversation happened eight years ago and I\u2019ve never forgotten it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Are you living a story that will inspire a stranger who bothers to ask?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cInspiration is very polite,\u201d says Mary Pipher. \u201cShe knocks softly and goes away if you don\u2019t answer.\u201dSometimes she tiptoes in when we least expect her to. If we’re paying attention, she brings a gift. I didn’t expect her to come dressed as a handyman. As the new decade was arriving, I moved into a wonderful…<\/p>\n