(G) Leonid's Devotion

Thoughts from a recent trip...

At a downtown hotel in Nashville for a conference. So far, some great conversations with a variety of folks. Have connected personally, have seen some possible open doors for partnerships professionally, and look forward to a dinner tonight with old friends from Texas.

The hotel is pleasant enough, but the AC has not been adequate. Especially noticed it yesterday afternoon, when the sun was pouring into the room and adding unneeded heat. Despite having the thermostat cranked as low as I could make it go, it stayed quite warm in here, even until almost midnight.

Finally called the front desk, and a “technician” was summoned. A few minutes later, I met Leonid at the door, and greeted him with appreciation for his prompt response. A shorter man with graying hair, he had his little cart full of tools, lightbulbs and supplies. Quickly he asked me some questions about the direction of the outlet vents, and the fan speed, and how cold I wanted the room. I told him I’d had the unit going full blast, and that the current temp was just too warm for my comfort.

Leonid pulled off the face plate, tinkered around in there for a few minutes, changed out the clogged filter (ewww…), and put it all back together. After carefully cleaning up after himself, he pronounced the AC fixed, and showed me the venting arrangement between the bedroom area and the bathroom, in case I wished to direct 100% of the cold air toward my ‘living space.” I thanked him.

“I wonder if you can repair toilets,too?” I explained that the handle had to be adjusted, as the toilet did not flush without it being fully depressed for almost 30 seconds. Most inconvenient. Leonid took a quick look, and two minutes later was finished with that job. Wonderful, thank you!

Noting his foreign name, I asked where he was from? “Oh, where you guess,” he asked? “Well, it seems to me that you probably grew up in Eastern Europe or Russia.” “Ah, Ukraine,” he replied. Turns out Leonid came to the USA 15 years ago, hoping to give his children better opportunities than were possible while back home. Indeed that has been the result. Now he is working to help his 26 year-old son complete his MBA from Wharton. His daughter, in her early 20s, is in law school. “Now I know that is why so many people come here (to the US). The opportunities here are great. That is why we come.” It occurred to me that Leonid’s kids will eventually earn bigger salaries than he could possibly have imagined making back in Ukraine.

I showed Leonid a photo of our son, adopted from Russia. He smiled, as if knowing that the boy’s life will probably change significantly, much as his own children’s lives have undergone transformations since arriving in America. We talked a bit more, and I expressed my respect for him for what he did, all to benefit his family. After thanking him once more for taking care of the AC and the toilet, Leonid left.

As I reflected on the exchange, I felt a variety of things. Gratitude for my own situation, for the many good things God has given to me personally and to my family. Glad to live in freedom, in a culture that allows a person to chase their dreams, whether that is to go into business, to study law, or to work maintenance jobs so his children can pursue those vocations. Happy to see a father so devoted to his children that he go beyond his comfort zone and leave everything familiar to see them succeed. Anxious to get home to Colorado, so I could see my own children, hold them close, and tell them I missed them a bunch, and that I love them dearly.

And I was glad my AC unit needed some attention.