Thank You to My First Boss

This letter is for Walter Abernathy, of Abernathy Hardware.

I was sixteen when you hired me to work at your hardware store, and I was terrible at the job. I didn't know what a socket wrench was. I gave the wrong change. Once, I knocked over an entire display of paint cans.

You didn't fire me. You taught me. You showed me how to look a customer in the eye and say, "Let me find out." You taught me to sweep the floor properly, count a register and fix a running toilet. You told me that a job worth doing was worth doing kindly.

I run my own business now, twenty-two years later. I've hired dozens of teenagers. When they knock over a display, I think of you, and I hand them a broom and smile.

Thank you. I hope your store is still open. I hope someone is still learning from you.