Hola Man

It’s the little things, right? I am a “gym junkie” I must admit. I guess there are worse things to be addicted to! So, given my addiction, we make the daily jaunt over the local 24hour fitness to get my fix. My kids know everyone on the staff and practically run the kids club themselves. They happily go inside the playroom, hang out with their gym friends and cousins (both my sister-in-laws need their fix too), play basketball and sometimes watch a movie. All of this is just part of the routine, but there is one thing they enjoy even more at the gym . . .and that is saying “hola” to the Hola Man. The Hola Man is the janitor who keeps the parking garage and front entrance to the gym clean. His day must be an endless cycle of vacuuming, mopping, and polishing. No matter what time of day we go, he magically appears. Before I even open the minivan doors my kids are looking around to catch a glimpse of him. He so lovingly got his name “Hola Man” because every time we see him he says, “Hola”. It is important to understand the tone and manner in which he says it. It is in the softest, most tender sweet voice and a drawn out hooooolaaaa, all with the biggest smile on his face that even his eyes smile. The Hola Man only speaks Spanish, so the conversations we’ve had have been limited. The only thing I can gather is that Sergio looks like his son. Now who knows if I have the right, but there is definitely some connection between him and Green Tea. Green Tea loves to chat with the Hola man and he just smiles right back and pats him on the head. I hope we brighten the Hola man’s day, as much as he brightens ours.