Thursday, May 21, 2009

…it’s a good day!

It was the end of a long day. I spent 5 ½ hours in eviction court waiting and listening to nothing but conflict and sadness. I was working out a problem in the building when I heard the distinctive voice of my Russian friend Boris. He speaks English with a Russian accent; besides speaking English and Russian, he speaks German and French also. Boris is a 60-something rotund, architect-engineer who emigrated from Russia seven years ago. He has a booming “Tevia-like” voice and possesses a fun-loving, appreciative attitude.

As I was walking down the hall, I hear his Boris’s booming voice, “Yerry, it’s a bad day.” I turn to see him standing with his hands in the position of holding a twenty-pound oblong watermelon at his waist. “Yerry,” he repeats, “it’s a bad day!”

I ask, “Boris, why is it a bad day?”

And Boris replies, “It’s a bad day because the transmission in my car broke down.”

“Oh, really?” I reply.

But Boris replies like Tevia from Fiddler on the Roof, “But Yerry, it’s a good day, too.”

I ask, “Why is it a good day, too?”

Boris smiles and replies, “It’s a good day because even though the transmission broke down, at least I have a car! Yes, Yerry, it’s a good day!” We laugh; the happy Russian made my day.

In Russia, Boris didn’t have a car. As a matter of fact, as a Russian Jew, he didn’t have much of anything. In America, he is grateful for all things great and small—a lesson I need to remember. God has been good to us.

I remember the first time I met this rotund, portly Tevia of Russia. He said to me in broken English “This is good.”

I said, “What’s good?”

He said, “I found another fat man!” That’s just Boris!

Boris has seen many trials in his life; tears mingled with joy. Good days and bad days separated with a smile and an appreciative attitude.

When I see or hear Boris, I smile. When I’m with Boris, it’s a good day.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank You Yerry! It is a Good Day!

Anonymous said...

Jerry,

Thank you for the pick me up blog today! Sometimes in our materialistic world, we forget all the wonderful things we do have because all we focus on is the bad things that have happened or all the "possessions" we don't have. Thank you for bringing a smile to a farm wife's face!

Teresa