I was rushing through the white-tented terminal building at Denver Worldwide Airport when my curiosity was diverted ? as if frequently is — by a storefront massage company. Checking my wristwatch, I calculated I had just sufficient time for a 20-moment chair massage.

I settled onto the light gray vinyl chair and positioned my encounter within the cushioned headrest. The massage therapist launched himself. “I am Lee,” he stated. “But you can contact me Sawbones.”

He should have seen the cartoon query mark floating over my head in an imaginary white bubble -”Sawbones?”-for he went on to inform me about himself.

Digging his thumbs into the back of my neck, Sawbones explained that massage was a new line of function for him.

“Do you like it?” I asked, my words muffled by the cushioned encounter relaxation.

“Sure, ma’am,” he stated, revealing a slight rancher’s drawl. “I get to meet fascinating people, especially right here at the airport. A few weeks ago, I massaged the attorney for the Oklahoma City Bomber. He was on his way to his client’s execution.” Sawbones paused, as if remembering the occasion. “He was a small tense.”

Even although his comment demanded a sarcastic response, I could not think of one quick sufficient. Rather, I asked Sawbones if he worked only at the airport.

“No, ma’am. I also have an workplace by the Stock Display Complex.”

“The Stock Display Complex?”

“Sure, ma’am. That is simply because I have another company. Customized cowboy hats.”

The cartoon query mark re-appeared. “Cowboy hats?”

“Sure, ma’am. I market them at the Grizzly Rose, the nation-western bar north of downtown.&ampquot

I inhaled the rosemary scent of the massage oil and debated whether to prod Sawbones for more information. Simply because I was not likely to meet another cowboy-hat-making-masseur in the near to long term, I asked him if his massage company was expanding.

“Sure, ma’am. See, I do horses too.”

“Horses?” I asked, feeling like I was becoming sucked down a conversational rabbit hole.

“Sure, ma’am. Horses like massage. They can get testy although.”

“I will wager.” I pictured a blonde Palomino lying hooves up on a massage table.

As Sawbones kneaded my upper arms, he asked what I did for a residing.

“I am a writer,” I stated. Really, I didn’t say that, simply because just then, Sawbones’ fingers pushed my head into the headrest making my solution sound more like “Imamiffer.”

Sawbones was unfazed. “Really?!&ampquot he exclaimed. &ampquotI’m a writer too!” He stated this as if we had been distant cousins meeting at a genealogy conference. “I write scripts!”

“Scripts?”

“Sure, ma’am. See, I also carry out in Wild West Exhibits.”

The rabbit hole was obtaining deeper by the 2nd. “What sorts of problems are in your exhibits?”

“Shoot-outs. Things like that. I have a buddy who seems like Abraham Lincoln. He’s gonna be in our show tomorrow evening.”

Now, I’ve by no means been that fantastic at track record but I’ve by no means really pictured Abe Lincoln in a shoot-out, other than, of course, for the incident at Ford’s Theater. I was about to inquire Sawbones how Abe figured into his act when he pulled my arms behind my back and absent from my body as if dressing a chicken. “You certain got some knots beneath right here,” he stated, poking underneath my shoulder blades. I started to understand the testiness of his equine clients.

Rapidly, our 20-minutes was up and Sawbones handed me his company card. “Massage,” it read. “For Horses and People.” “Just for long term reference,” he added, “I also do home massage. It is only fifty bucks and I carry my personal table, oil, and CDs.” I accepted the card graciously even although I was pretty particular I’d by no means spend a man named Sawbones to tote oil and soft music into my house.

It is been a week since my encounter with the customized-cowboy-hat-making, wild-west-show-performing, horse-and-human massage therapist and I cannot get him out of my thoughts.

Now, I know there are people who might discover Sawbones a small decreased brow and unfocused. These people would assume Sawbones was a drifter who hadn’t found his accurate calling. But to me, Sawbones is smart. He can function indoors or out. He functions with his fingers and his thoughts. He also has constructed-in job safety. The bottom could fall out of the cowboy hat marketplace and Sawbones would nevertheless make it in the globe.

Moreover, Sawbones has already figured out what many of us invest our whole careers learning: How important it is to attempt new problems. “Ma’am,” he stated, “I do all these problems simply because I promised myself I would by no means do the same boring thing all day long.”

Many people I know have stated this same thing to themselves at one time or another. But the distinction in in between Sawbones and most people is that he is not frightened to tackle new issues, even if these issues entail tense attorneys and testy horses. So think about Sawbones the subsequent time you’re confronted with a new opportunity. Even if the job or undertaking does not function out the way you expected, you might finish up with good fodder for airport conversation.

Copyright, 2005, Shari Caudron.

Shari Caudron is an award-winning columnist, writing coach, and writer of &ampquotWhat Really Occurred,&ampquot a assortment of humorous stories about the lessons existence teaches you when you minimum expect it. Shari frequently delivers speeches to women’s groups about how to transform normal experiences into possibilities for personal development. Internet website: http://www.sharicaudron.com e-mail: shari@sharicaudron.com