In 2009, I got a job working under a man named Orlando, whom I would affectionately call Don Orlando.
On a Monday morning, he picked me up at the corner of my block in his delivery van.
āHello, Iām Orlando. Your father told me you needed a job. But I donāt want you to see this only as a job. I want you to see it as a skill you can acquireāa skill that could possibly help you go into business for yourself one day.ā
I sat there confused.
To me, a job was somewhere you clocked in, worked your hours, clocked out, and went home.
Don Orlando delivered his own chorizo to a variety of businesses. As we worked together, we developed a friendship. Every afternoon, we would sit for hours talking about business, life, and even art.
He always pushed business.
His belief was that business was difficult, but it was also a skill. It could teach you how to deal with people, create financial security, and provide something that fulfilled a need.
āRoberto, you can do anything,ā he once told me.
āDon Orlando, Iām not you.ā
He took a drag from his cigarette.
āYou have hands, legs, and a mind. You can do anything anyone else has done.ā
At the time, I donāt think I completely understood what he was trying to give me.
He wasnāt only teaching me how to deliver chorizo. He was trying to teach me that work could become a skill, a skill could become independence, and independence could allow me to build something of my own.
I understand him differently now.
I think of Don Orlando, sitting there with his cigarette, telling me that I could do anything.
And it makes me smile.
Enjoy your cup of coffee. ā
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