Generosity
I'm always amazed at the differences in people. No matter when you think you have stuff figured out, there's always someone who surprises you. Not always in a good way, but at least a surprise makes you stop and think for a minute.
Before I started at TD, I met Al. Al has cerebral palsy and uses two arm crutches to haul himself around. Most people would find that daunting and tend to pity themselves, but not Al. He's amazing. I met him through a friend who also works at TD and was very pleasant/helpful to him the first time we met over some beers. Once I started working I would see him time to time and say your typical, "Hello, how's it going?" and have a brief convo about work and training etc.
Al is in admin, not on the phones, so he does deal with a lot of paperwork etc. He seems to really enjoy his job and talking to other people. For his birthday, Peter and I went to lunch with him and Lorissa - and he ended up sneakily paying for all of us. I was a bit taken aback as it was HIS birthday, yet he insisted on paying for the lot. I gave him a Ford book as he was saying he loved cars and we weren't really using it anyway. I also hooked him up with my Dad for a Cruise Night (my parents are big classic car/living in the 50s in 2007 type people) which he really enjoyed. Subsequently he gave me a London Knights hockey game ticket for my Dad - often hard to get because this city supports the home team with a vengeance.
(I don't know why I'm eating candy as the first thing of the day, but it's kinda good when typing)
Over the course of the last few months, I've learned that he's totally smitten with Lorissa. She's apparently not supposed to know that I know, but we're pals, so I do know, and have known from day one. Al talks to me all the time - usually not at the best time as he finishes work when I'm desperately trying to get inside to get a seat (they are scarce at times) so it's hard not to brush him off.
Well for Christmas, Al sent us this:
Inside the basket are crackers, chocolate, gourmet hot chocolates, bruchetta mixture, fresh salsa, breadsticks coated in chocolate and some candy as well. We instantly ate the chocolate covered marshmallows.. YUM!
Most people would say, "Wow, that's really nice of him" .. but that's not all he sent.
He included inside the basket a card. Inside the card were gift certificates for a local restaurant/pub totalling $100!!! This is what floored us. We don't really know him all that well, and yet he's spending over $100 on a gift for us for the holidays???
It almost made us feel guilty. He's requested we use the money to take myself, Peter and my parents out for dinner - which is totally generous and nice. The thing is, if I had spent that much on a pal from work I didn't really know, Peter would have killed me and my friends would have said I was crazy. Generous, but crazy!
I've thanked him already for it (several times) and learned that he's making Lorissa a music/jewellery box.. who does THAT?! (oh he's totally in love, but it's never going to happen - the age diff is huge).. he's asked me to take him to the basket place on Saturday so he can get her a basket for now, because he's not done the music box yet.
It's like some weird Elizabethan drama/tragedy where love is one-sided and doomed.
Before I started at TD, I met Al. Al has cerebral palsy and uses two arm crutches to haul himself around. Most people would find that daunting and tend to pity themselves, but not Al. He's amazing. I met him through a friend who also works at TD and was very pleasant/helpful to him the first time we met over some beers. Once I started working I would see him time to time and say your typical, "Hello, how's it going?" and have a brief convo about work and training etc.
Al is in admin, not on the phones, so he does deal with a lot of paperwork etc. He seems to really enjoy his job and talking to other people. For his birthday, Peter and I went to lunch with him and Lorissa - and he ended up sneakily paying for all of us. I was a bit taken aback as it was HIS birthday, yet he insisted on paying for the lot. I gave him a Ford book as he was saying he loved cars and we weren't really using it anyway. I also hooked him up with my Dad for a Cruise Night (my parents are big classic car/living in the 50s in 2007 type people) which he really enjoyed. Subsequently he gave me a London Knights hockey game ticket for my Dad - often hard to get because this city supports the home team with a vengeance.
(I don't know why I'm eating candy as the first thing of the day, but it's kinda good when typing)
Over the course of the last few months, I've learned that he's totally smitten with Lorissa. She's apparently not supposed to know that I know, but we're pals, so I do know, and have known from day one. Al talks to me all the time - usually not at the best time as he finishes work when I'm desperately trying to get inside to get a seat (they are scarce at times) so it's hard not to brush him off.
Well for Christmas, Al sent us this:
Inside the basket are crackers, chocolate, gourmet hot chocolates, bruchetta mixture, fresh salsa, breadsticks coated in chocolate and some candy as well. We instantly ate the chocolate covered marshmallows.. YUM!
Most people would say, "Wow, that's really nice of him" .. but that's not all he sent.
He included inside the basket a card. Inside the card were gift certificates for a local restaurant/pub totalling $100!!! This is what floored us. We don't really know him all that well, and yet he's spending over $100 on a gift for us for the holidays???
It almost made us feel guilty. He's requested we use the money to take myself, Peter and my parents out for dinner - which is totally generous and nice. The thing is, if I had spent that much on a pal from work I didn't really know, Peter would have killed me and my friends would have said I was crazy. Generous, but crazy!
I've thanked him already for it (several times) and learned that he's making Lorissa a music/jewellery box.. who does THAT?! (oh he's totally in love, but it's never going to happen - the age diff is huge).. he's asked me to take him to the basket place on Saturday so he can get her a basket for now, because he's not done the music box yet.
It's like some weird Elizabethan drama/tragedy where love is one-sided and doomed.