He’s known by many names. “The dude with the mullet at Home Depot” is one. That “super nice guy who helps everyone at Home Depot” also suffices. But the name he goes by is “Hollywood.”
Hollywood works at the Home Depot by my house. He’s beloved. His mustache and gray haired mullet make him instantly recognizable. In fact, some months ago there was even an on-line lovefest about him behind his back (scroll down about half way and you’ll find it).
So last night I ran to Home Depot to pick up a washer, some gutter extensions, and a toilet repair kit. While I’m standing there choosing which toilet repair kit to get, Hollywood comes over to lend a hand. I’ve never met him, but he’s helped me plenty of times over the years. After he hooked me up with what I needed, I turned to him and said, “You know man, you’re much beloved in this city.” I proceeded to tell him about that on-line conversation and plenty of others I’ve had with people who have grown to appreciate this guy.
Over the next 30 minutes Hollywood told me his life story. Over the past few years, he’s completely turned his life around. He has gone from being in pretty dire straights to becoming sort of a local icon.
Basically, Hollywood puts it like this: his job is to show up and make sure he’s completely present. He’s living his life and each day in such a way that when he shows up to work, he’s committed to the happiness and experience of his coworkers and the customers. He calls most people “brother” or “sister” (think Hulk Hogan). He gets up an hour and half before each shift to say his prayers, drink a cup of coffee, and get himself ready to go to work with the attitude that HE has chosen to treat people the way HE knows is right.
And because of it, people love him. He and I talked about my book for a while and laughed at how similar we were in our attitudes and beliefs. While my work can sometimes float in the ether of theory, here was a guy absolutely living it. It was a beautiful thing.
As I’m leaving, we gave each other a big embrace right in the toilet repair aisle. He thanked me for taking the time to let him know the esteem people have for him. I thanked him for being Hollywood. As I was walking away, a couple came up looking for help. I heard him say, “Man. That’s Nate. I love that guy!” I felt the same way!
Keep it rolling Hollywood. We should all be a lot more like you.
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