Hajj Nabil

I’ve been meaning to write this post since last Saturday afternoon, right after Toastmasters, but I went out with a couple of friends and came home late, and I got a little busy over the weekend. But the idea never left me and I said I’d make it a point to write about it, so here it goes:

Three days ago at Toastmasters, I had the most important role of the meeting: The Toastmaster. But I have a little confession to make. See while I usually prepare for my roles at Toastmasters, this time I didn’t, not because of lack of time, and not because of lack of interest, but plainly because I didn’t feel a need to. I’ve played the role of Toastmaster a countless number of times in the past and I think the main parts of the role have somehow become a part of me. So the rest I improvised, and while doing so, I actually gave one of my most enthusiastic performances as a Toastmaster. And I’ll admit it, I felt smug…

So as I was sitting there near the end of the meeting, feeling quite full of myself and waiting for Jana to finish giving the General Evaluation section, I drifted off and noticed someone sitting behind a television screen at the far end of the room. He caught me by surprise at first, but as I looked closer, I noticed it was Hajj Nabil, the BAU Alumni Association receptionist…

This man is incredible. He’s in his (I’d guess) late 60s, he arrives at the association early and leaves late on Saturday afternoons just to keep it open for us, every time we walk in he greets us with a warm welcome, he always offers to help us in setting up the room, physically helps us move the lectern and tables around, helps us set up the projector and screen, all you have to do is call his name…

And he’s so respectful, he was quietly just sitting there, watching an old television series with the volume muted as not to disturb us. And he was the one to bring my then haughty attitude back down to earth…

And as Jana mumbled on about evaluations, I blurred out everything else and smiled at him, the man who makes things happen. God Bless You, Hajj Nabil! :-)