“You do this long enough, you really learn to read
people.”...Don Ward
It’s Wednesday evening and we
are wandering around Times Square in NYC looking for the Ed Sullivan Theater so
we can bask in the illusion of close proximity to David Letterman.
We are back east for my 35th
high school reunion, which will be held in the suburban county I lived in when
I was a teenager. My husband, who likes getting his shoes shined whenever we
are at the airport, is a little frustrated. We had anticipated a lengthy
layover at DFW, where he planned to get his traditional airport ritual shoeshine.
Fortunately for us, American Airlines was able to put us on an earlier flight
to Laguardia. Unfortunately for his shoes, this obstructed his plans for that
DFW shoeshine.
Our early arrival allowed us
to head into Manhattan for some sightseeing and dinner. We decide to seek out
the Ed Sullivan Theater to see if the “Hello Deli”, which has featured prominently
on the Letterman show, might be open for dinner. So long as we have TV shows on
the brain, we stroll in the direction of 30 Rock. Lo and behold, on a nearby
corner, there is a cheerful fellow briskly shining the shoes of a contented
gentleman comfortably perched in the chair of a bright blue shoeshine stand.
As my husband takes his turn
in the “hot seat”, the shoeshiner applies himself to the task at hand and we
begin to chat. It turns out we are both NYC natives, although he is from
Brooklyn while I am originally from the Bronx. He tells us his name is Don
Ward. He has been shining shoes for over 20 years, after trying his hand at
several other professions, which he found did not suit him. The intersection of
47th street and 6th Avenue is “his corner.” His broad smile
is infectious and his jokester gregariousness is captivating. And he is full of
wonderful stories. In fact, he is such a gifted raconteur that it is an
unbridled pleasure to simply listen to him talk. Eventually, I mention that I
am a psychologist and he perks up significantly beyond his usual perky
baseline. He speaks eloquently and soulfully of what he’s gleaned from his years
of experience meeting people, shining their shoes and keenly observing the
action as pedestrians traverse “his corner”.
In fact, he proudly flourishes a magazine article written about him, which
prompts me to listen even more carefully to what he has to say.
As a psychologist, listening
to and understanding people is what I do. As a shoe shiner, listening to and
understanding people augments Mr. Ward’s obvious pleasure in a shoe well
shined, a job well done and the creation of yet another happy customer. Mr. Ward, it turns out, is far more than a shoe
shining professional; he is a silver-tongued shoe shining philosopher and a
very interesting one to boot (get the pun?). His good-natured acceptance of the
value of hard work, his well-honed commitment to personal excellence and his earnest
respect for looking polished and taking good care of yourself have provided him with
a treasure trove of wisdom, which he is delighted to share with all comers. He
has uncannily accurate intuition about what a person is really like based on
only a brief snippet of observation. Over time, he has cultivated an astute
understanding of what makes a good person good. With humble eloquence, he
shares fascinating stories and observations to illustrate his insights. Mr.
Ward exudes good cheer, confidence and humanism. His life has clearly not been
easy, but he firmly believes it has been unequivocally good. His 48 years rest
lightly on his shoulders, as he looks much younger than his stated age. He has pulled
himself up by his own bootstraps (forgive me for yet another pun). His shoeshine
business has a devoted clientele whose loyalty is likely based on his sparkling
personality as much as on the sparkling footwear he bequeaths to his customers.
In fact, in one of his most inspiring stories, he tells of coming to work one
day and finding his shoeshine stand had vanished during the night. In his own
words, “When you work outside on a corner in New York City, you know that
eventually, this is going to happen to you. So you don’t get upset, you simply rebuild.”
With a little help from his friends he was back in business in no time.
“Besides,” he points out, “I really like the blue stand, my previous one was
brown and this one is much nicer looking.” Wow. Isn’t that a brilliant example
of making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear?
When your toes no longer
twinkle, your spats have lost their spiff, your soul is weary and you need happy
feet, you have many options. Psychotherapy is one possibility. A chance
encounter with a street corner sage can be another. If you find yourself in
Manhattan needing a smile and glossy footwear, remember to stop by Don Ward’s
corner for the best shoeshine of your life, with a little wisdom and good cheer
thrown in for no extra charge. You will come away well heeled in more ways than
you probably anticipated. Don’t be
surprised to find a grin on your face and a spring in your step that has little
to do with shiny shoes. That is the magic of Don Ward, “The shoeshine dude” and
streetcorner philosopher of 47th and 6th streets, NYC.
For a Youtube glimpse of the charming Don Ward, click on the link below:
