I recently had the pleasure of seeing enthusiasm in action. Barbara and I and our family (all 16 of us) were eating at Fat Daddy’s Smokehouse BBQ in Kihei, Hawaii. As the menus were handed out, the waitress, Maggi Rose, let us know the ribs “were the best you’ll ever eat”. Later I overhead her tell another couple who asked what’s good on the menu, “It’s all good”. Then, when our order was taking a little while to come out from the kitchen, she brought out a couple of small bowls of chips for our eight grandkids to tide them over until the food arrived, and she told them, “Don’t eat too much, because you are going to want to eat all of the wonderful brisket sandwiches that you ordered”. She was right, it was a good meal, but her enthusiasm was what made it a wonderful experience and made us glad we chose to eat there.
As we were leaving the restaurant, I asked Maggi Rose how long she had worked there—1-1/2 years she said and 15 years as a waitress—long enough to know that her enthusiasm was not a beginner’s glow and was time-tested. To me, this kind of enthusiasm is not so much a feeling, but an attitude. There are going to be hard days and problems “in the restaurant”, but enthusiasm will stay with a person who believes in what they are doing and who they are working with. I got the idea that Maggi Rose is a person who would not work at a restaurant if she could not brag about the food being served.
Enthusiasm should be a lasting quality that is a part of long-term relationships and opportunities. My pastor (Jim Lynch, now retired) had a saying that rang true along this line: “If you want to stay married, stay enthused about your spouse”. All of us who have been married a long time know that this enthusiasm is more than just a feeling. It is an attitude that stays with the ups and downs of living; knowing that regardless of the circumstances, you married the right person, this is your best opportunity, your best path.
Staying enthused is a great way to live, both in personal life and in your vocation or business life. Enthusiasm is the oil that keeps all the machinery of life moving along. I want our readers to know that I am enthused about being in the manufacturing business and being in an independent family-owned business. I am enthused about the Walker Mower, a product that helps our customers make beautiful places. I am enthused about the multiplied opportunities that have come from supplying over 100,000 Walker Mowers to customers around the world. And I am still enthused about Barbara, my lovely wife of 44 years (we celebrated our anniversary on the trip to Hawaii).
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