Today was a rough day for my dog, Griffin. Over the weekend, he somehow scratched the inside of his eyelid. When he woke up this morning, it was all swollen and red and kinda gross.

I took him to the vet we’ve been going to for the past year. Not only did he have to get his eye worked on, but it was time for his shots too. How much does that suck? When he came out, I asked him to sit. He started down, got halfway there and then changed his mind. OUCH! But Grif was a trooper. He handled it like a tough guy, and we were on our way to check out.

As I stood at the counter waiting to pay, an older gentlemen was standing next to me. I noticed one of the gals behind the counter light up when she saw him. It was as if he had just made her day. Now, this wasn’t infatuation. It was genuine care for a person. They talked for a while, and at one point, he looked down and started talking to Griffin.

As he talked, he just seemed like a really nice guy. He asked if he could pet him. That’s a trip – people don’t usually ask, they just take their chances and reach down. “Absolutely!” I said. Even Griffin loved this guy! When he left, the lady looked at me and said, “He’s my daughter’s orthodontist. We love him!”

Wow! This guy is loved by adults, dogs and girls in headgear! All I could think was, “That’s the guy I want to be!” Okay, not an orthodontist, but a guy who, when he walks into a room, people light up because of how nice he is. The kind of guy who makes other people’s day better. I know I felt better when I walked out of that clinic, and I don’t even know the guy.

I wasn’t able to ask Griffin his thoughts, but I’m pretty sure he’s down with the doc. I don’t know what that gentleman’s life is like, but I bet it has a lot to do with God and a general love for people. What other parts there are, I’m not sure. But I know I’m going to try to discover them. That way, hopefully, someday when I leave a room someone will say, “That’s Chris LoCurto. We love him!”