We had a goodbye BBQ party at work on Friday for Steve, a young man who has been accepted into the radiology program at PCC. When he first started nearly three years ago, my conservative, judgmental nature immediately thought, “holy cow, who is this long haired kid with tattoos and piercings in places no one should have a hole in. What could I possibly have in common with this guy”? But it doesn’t pay to make snap judgments and Steve has become such a special person to me, even though I’m old enough to be his mother. He spent four years in the Navy and after finishing his service, came to work with us as a temp. We are fortunate to work for a wonderful company and Steve stayed and became a permanent employee.
As time went on and I would go into the manufacturing department (where the guys take turns choosing the music), and hear the sounds of Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller or one of the jazz greats blaring out from the speakers (where normally hard rock or talk radio is the most popular choice). When I told him that our daughter Shanna played the alto saxophone and had been accepted into the jazz band, he was quick to offer his praise and advice about what kind of music to practice to (he himself is a musician). Steve was always willing to help me with lifting and moving heavy boxes, hauling and storing things…never complaining and always easy-going. He had a sweet tooth and was always thrilled when I would save him a piece of chocolate cake or a Costco maple-glazed muffin leftover from the in-house seminars that I coordinate every month. Over time, we talked about music, life, religion, relationships and even politics and I was shocked to find out that he is nearly as conservative as I am.
I wish Steve well as he follows his heart and dreams…I will miss our conversations, his gentle ways and great music choices. Over time, he cut his hair, got rid of the piercings and on Friday, at his farewell party, he told me his exterior is now more reflective of his interior. How often do we put up an exterior hoping to come across a certain way but find that our true selves are buried deep and can’t sustain that outer shell…whatever it may be? Through Steve, I learned a valuable life lesson that clearly, you can’t judge a book by its covers…you have to turn the pages and discover the surprises and delights inside. My prayer today is that I will always take the time to look inside and see the real person…not just the exterior. It’s been a honor to get know this wonderful young man and I’m grateful for the life lessons I learned while working with and getting to know him.
