{"id":60488,"date":"2025-07-04T13:26:23","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T03:26:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/?p=60488"},"modified":"2025-07-05T17:36:52","modified_gmt":"2025-07-05T07:36:52","slug":"60488","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/?p=60488","title":{"rendered":"Harold"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Harold\"<\/p>\n

\n
This is my friend Harold.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Not the guy in the man lift\u2014but the man behind him, sitting quietly in his wheelchair on the sidewalk.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Harold lives in the nursing home just across the street from our job site.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Since day one, he\u2019s been there.<\/div>\n
Every morning at 7 a.m., like clockwork.<\/div>\n
He takes lunch when we do.<\/div>\n
And he doesn\u2019t leave until I shut down the crane and head home.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
At first, I thought,<\/div>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s just an old man enjoying the fresh air. Curious, maybe. Just passing time.\u201d<\/div>\n
But something about his consistency got me curious too.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
So one day, I walked over and introduced myself.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
That first conversation lasted over two and a half hours.<\/div>\n
And it changed me.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
Harold, it turns out, is nearing the end of his life.<\/div>\n
He\u2019s battling heart failure and a degenerative disease that\u2019s been eating away at his health for years.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
But before all that, Harold spent over 50 years doing exactly what I do now\u2014operating cranes.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
He told me he never imagined he\u2019d get to see one up close again\u2014let alone watch one in action, every day.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
It\u2019s not just a job to him. It\u2019s his life. His pride. His story.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
He has family. Two daughters. A son.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
They haven\u2019t visited in the seven years he\u2019s been in that nursing home.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
So I made Harold a deal.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
He jokingly asked if I\u2019d put him on payroll.<\/div>\n
I told him I couldn\u2019t swing that\u2026 but here\u2019s what I could do:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u00a0Every morning, I bring him his favorite\u2014a black coffee.<\/div>\n
\u00a0Twice a week, I grab him lunch from anywhere he wants.<\/div>\n
\u00a0And at the end of each day, I sit with him so he can critique my crane work and give me pointers.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Because no matter how good you think you are, there\u2019s always more to learn.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
And Harold?<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
He didn\u2019t hesitate before saying,<\/div>\n
\u201cABSOLUTELY!\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
Now he\u2019s not just watching.<\/div>\n
He\u2019s part of the crew.<\/div>\n
He\u2019s teaching again. Smiling again.<\/div>\n
Living with purpose in his final days.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
And I guess I\u2019m sharing this to say:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u00a0Don\u2019t overlook the quiet people in the background.<\/div>\n
\u00a0Don\u2019t assume someone\u2019s just \u201cpassing time.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u00a0Walk over. Say hello.<\/div>\n
You never know what kind of impact you might make\u2014or what kind of soul you\u2019ll meet.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
I\u2019m so thankful I took that step.<\/div>\n
And when the day comes that God calls Harold home,<\/div>\n
I\u2019ll find peace in knowing he spent his final chapter surrounded by something he loved.<\/div>\n
And by someone who cared enough to see him.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Be that someone. Make someone feel seen.<\/div>\n
It might just be the most important thing you do today.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is my friend Harold. Not the guy in the man lift\u2014but the man behind him, sitting quietly in his wheelchair on the sidewalk. Harold lives in the nursing home just across the street from our job site. Since day one, he\u2019s been there. Every morning at 7 a.m., like clockwork. He takes lunch when … <\/p>\n

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