The spark that changed my day

I walked into the office one morning and went to fill up my water bottle, when I see this man spraying cleaning chemicals in the kitchen with a single earbud in.

I didn’t want to disturb his flow, but the minute he heard the water pouring into my bottle, he spun around with the hugest smile and brightest eyes.

“Hola! Good morning, miss! ¿Cómo te llamas? What is your name?” As he reached out to shake my hand.

I tell him my name is Ashley and ask what his name is. He *delightfully* responds, “Albedo, but you can call me Al! I am originally from Mexico ... I just came back from a month in Mexico on vacation. It’s nice to meet you!”

I asked why he moved to the frozen tundra in Minnesota? He shared,

“I am in my 60’s now, but I first came here when I was 20. Growing up in Mexico, we were very poor. Sometimes, all we had to eat for dinner was a tortilla or two. My mother felt badly and would always apologize for having very little. When we were older, we started thinking about what it would be like to move to a new home. So, we came here, Ashley!”

He then shared with me that his favorite job was when he got to paint the angels and the pictures in the churches because they were intricate and beautiful.

But that he’s had a lot of different types of jobs and holds a lot of knowledge which he’s grateful for. He continued to share with me more about his gorgeous wife, GG, and how they have three very beautiful and smart daughters who love him very much. He’s so proud! 🥹

After we told each other to have a wonderful day, something struck me. It was the sparkle in his eyes ...

As I was walking back to my desk, I intuitively heard in my mind, "Look up the meaning of his name.”

Albedo is the fraction of light that a surface reflects. It’s an expression of the ability of surfaces to reflect sunlight. Synonyms include:

• Reflective power
• Brightness
• Luminosity
• Irradiance

What I find fascinating is that to me, Albedo IS the spark of light. He changed the tone of my entire day simply by being his bright self.

If only we could all just slow down and genuinely connect with each other … I think we’d remember what the true meaning of life is. ✨