As if he were a flower, Mr. Guy began to bloom, spreading his love everywhere. His petals soaked up so much light to which he shared with others. Who the heck is Mr. Guy you might be wondering? It is one of my favorite custodians of all time. I mean come on – doesn’t the name sound cool already? His gray mustache constantly lit up my day when he would give me high fives in the morning to the day he finally announced he would be retiring to be with his wife.

As if naturally drawn in by his kind nature, my preschooler mind was ever so curious to learn new ideas, things, and people that would merely even smile towards me. Seeing Mr. Guy’s smile in the morning always welcomed me into his arms as if I was his own daughter. The preschool days passed by rather quickly as Mr. Guy constantly checked up on not only me but on other teachers and my fellow classmates. His dedication towards not only keeping our school clean but also us kids constantly supported brought upon feelings of content that not many people had brought before. As Iago stated in Othello, it was as if our own individual, “..bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners”.

Mr. Guy’s ability to connect with others regardless of the day he was having, followed me all through elementary. My most influential years as a young child thus allowed Mr. Guy’s teachings to sink in. I began to understand people a little better and showed affection through high fives and fist bumps. The true love that he invested into me and other students truly transected me into feeling more empowered than I had felt before. His teachings paved the way for the rest of my elementary school, middle school, and even partly through my high school years. 

Putting my right hand over my heart every day for the Pledge of Allegiance reminds me of Mr. Guy and the endless dedication he had for everyone and bettering their environment. He would often sit down and tell me stories as his blonde shoulder length hair started to fade into gray with his growing age. The loving way he would talk about his wife implemented so many ideas that I still carry with me about love. The endless endearment he had for her despite all their years of marriage always provided me with happiness that he had found his person. His other half. 

The countless stories, lessons, and ideas that Mr Guy shared with me had embedded the objective that, “Everybodywants someone to listen to their story” as displayed through the Mojave Phone Booth Podcast. Mr. Guy influenced every single person he was around in some way, shape or form. For now and for forever I shall always live my life through the ideas that he spread: always check up on people, show up, listen, and ultimately spread love with pure heart. Despite the way custodians aren’t acknowledged for their true efforts of cleaning, Mr. Guy is like a Clorox wipe as he cleaned not only our school, but wiped a bright future into my direct view.

Due to this letter being written about Mr. Guy years later after he retired, the true contact I could have with him and allowing him to read this is little to none. However, I know that Mr. Guy would’ve rather this letter be spread to other people rather than to himself as a way of spreading love and patience that has and will continue to benefit everyone in their life. From Mr. Guy to me and me to you, life passes by fast, so love and appreciate every second of it.