Rhonda Cagle: A gift from an unexpected source

• "Young lady, it's a great day to be alive!" His smile stretched from ear-to-ear and his eyes twinkled hope and optimism
• And I realized he had done so much more than carry my bags. He had lightened my load

"Kapt'n Kenny" is 79 years old with a walk that bears witness to illness or injury earlier in life. But his physical infirmity certainly hasn't injured his spirit or his contagious enthusiasm for life.

I met the Kapt'n while staying at the Host Hotel for a conference. Kapt'n Kenny was my bellman and assigned to help me with my luggage and retrieval of my car as I was checking out.

To be honest, I wasn't paying much attention when he knocked on my hotel door. It was a difficult week in my professional work. I was cranky, exhausted, and ready to get out of the hotel and back on a plane heading home as quickly as possible.

But the Kapt'n caught my attention when he walked into my room, smiled and said, "Young lady, it's a great day to be alive!" His smile stretched from ear-to-ear and his eyes twinkled hope and optimism. And I really needed hope and optimism in that moment.

The Kapt'n told me how beautiful the world looked as he drove to work that morning. He shared with me the forecast; that it was supposed to be sunny and seasonably warm that day. I explained that I was from Arizona and that his Ohio fall weather felt like winter to me.

As the Kapt'n and I rode the elevator down to the lobby, he told me that every day is a great day to be alive. He went on to explain that he had experienced a health scare two years ago and that each day from that point on was a gift. "It is for you, too," he noted.

I thought about his words as he loaded my bags in the car. And I realized the Kapt'n had done so much more than carry my bags. He had lightened my load.

After handing him a generous tip, Kapt'n Kenny reached into his pocket and handed me his business card. It identified him as a bellman and had his signature phrase printed beneath his name: "It's a Great Day to Be Alive!" He proudly explained that his grandchildren had the cards printed for him last Christmas and he gives them out to the guests he likes and hopes will return. He encouraged me to ask for him the next time I was back.

He shut my car door with a reminder to make it a great day and enjoy being alive. As I drove away, I had a hard time seeing through the tears that were welling in my eyes. The Kapt'n had no idea how much I needed his kind words, his enthusiasm for life, and his reminder that every day is a great day to be alive.

I've kept his card in my wallet ever since and frequently take it out to look at it — a reminder that life is, indeed, a gift. It's also a reminder that people like me — people like you — can serve as life's bellmen, lightening life's load and making the journey less exhausting.

I'll be sending this column to "Kapt'n Kenny." In some small way, perhaps it returns the favor of the load he lifted for me.

Rhonda Cagle is a marketing and communications professional. Join the conversation at RhondaCagle.Wordpress.com, or follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RhondaCagleWriter or Twitter @RhondaCagle1.