I went to the vet clinic a few Saturdays ago to pick up a stack of receipts that needed to be entered to calculate the GST tax return for the clinic. They were supposed to be in a pizza box by the passthrough window between the reception desk and the office. (Don’t laugh; my clients find pizza boxes quite handy for collecting receipts and miscellaneous other papers to give to me.)

There were cars in the parking lot, the door was unlocked, but there was no one to be seen when I walked in. I found the pizza box, turned around to leave when the door of the nearest examining room opened. Sarah, a twenty-something vet tech, poked her head out then said to the unseen vet behind her, “Oh, it’s just Bob.” Then she said “Good morning” to me, we wished each other a good day, and I was out of there.

“Just Bob.” Those words have stuck in my mind ever since, and I have concluded that is what I want to be. I want to be known as someone who is reliable, honest, patient, kind. That’s enough. I don’t want to be known as someone who is always the victim of circumstances and who has to share his tale of woe with everyone he meets. Nor do I want to be a braggart, nor the guy who always knows how others could do their job better.

Sarah was obviously relieved to see that the sound of the door opening did not mean there was some big problem needing her attention. It was “Just Bob” going about his business. Thar doesn’t mean I want to be the invisible man. Nor does it mean that I want to get so wrapped up in what I am doing that the people around me become invisible. I want to notice all the good and kind things that others do, and to thank and encourage them. I want to notice when others are sad or in distress and have the patience to listen without telling them how to fix their problem.

Not that any of this has come naturally to me. Perhaps it’s part of the wisdom that comes to one with a hoary head from years of experience. In any case, right now, at this stage of life, being “Just Bob” seems like a good thing to be, an ideal that is attainable.