Shines of the Times

On his official website, the prolific and always entertaining Robert Fulghum notices that in these economically depressed times, shoe shine stands have proliferated. Many of those doing this work are now old men. Fulghum recalls that when he was a freshman in college 50 years ago he landed a part-time job in a shoe repair shop in Boulder, Colorado. Meryl, the owner, gave his customers 100 per cent attention and always knew what they needed just by looking at their shoes.

Fulghum remembers his experiences there and muses on the importance of taking care of your feet, shoe maintenance, the realization that no job is small or unimportant, and that you can apply creativity and imagination to everything that you do. He outlines what it means to practice spirituality at work.