Picture a 6ft tall plastic Snowman with a carrot nose, coal buttons and eyes, a red scarf and black top hat.
Benny is his name. A Snowman with a lot of soul.
This year Benny was thrilled to be rented for the season by the biggest department store in town. He loved being in such public places, hearing the people chatting and the rustle of holiday packages.
Throughout the pre-holiday festivities, however, something seemed off. The packages were fewer. And while he heard holiday greetings, Benny also heard a new word he found troubling.. “leastigottajob.”
He thought it was a strange word. Not only was it usually spoken at the end of a conversation, but often it was spoken through a sigh. “Leastigottajob.”
Maybe it means, “I’m tired,” Benny thought, but it seemed more than that.
Maybe it means, “I’m disappointed,” he thought. This seemed more likely, because every time Benny heard the word spoken, it reminded him of the feeling he’d had on holidays when he’d been stuck in some back lot without even an outlet to plug his light into. Yep, if that’s what this word meant, he knew the feeling… “leastigottajob.”
Now, if you’re a holiday decoration, your whole line of work is about getting people’s attention and making them smile. Benny knew what he was supposed to do. But with this “leastigottajob” thing going around, he just didn’t know how he was going to do it.
That night, when all was dark and quiet, Benny made a wish on a wintry star for all his passersby. He wished that for every “leastigottajob” he heard, someone would be reminded that, this season, what they do is not as important as how they do it. For Benny had learned, the what speaks to all that we are able to do, but the how speaks to who we are.
Believe in both what you do and how you do it.
Thank you Benny and The Monaghan Group for sharing this story with us this year.
Teddy Burriss 