A few days later, after helping Sarah and the kids get ready for school in the morning, Michael took a slow walk in the park. It wasn’t something he wanted to do. It was something Sarah made him do. The doctor advised him to do some light exercise to keep his blood flowing and also said he could do any of his normal activities, besides work, that didn’t cause him stress. After walking, Michael grabbed a water bottle in the kitchen and saw the carpenter’s card still sitting on the counter. He looked at it for a few moments and decided it was time to say thank you in person.

It’s not every day you get to meet the person who saved your life, Michael thought, as he sat in bumper-to-bumper city traffic. What if I don’t like him? We know he’s a horrible marketer. What if he turns out to be a horrible person? Michael considered a number of possibilities as he passed the road construction that was causing the traffic, and decided the man deserved a thank you regardless of the kind of person he was. After all, it’s not every day you need someone to save your life.

At noon Michael pulled up to 111 Main Street, a large, beautiful, newly constructed home with a circular driveway packed with pick-up trucks. When he walked in the front door he saw a bunch of men painting the walls and ceiling as the sounds of hammering and sawing filled the air. He walked to the kitchen and noticed a dark-skinned man with shoulder-length brown hair. He was dressed in blue jeans, brown sandals, and a white t-shirt, and sat at the kitchen table eating lunch. When the man looked up and saw Michael, his eyes lit up. He ran toward him with a big smile and wrapped his arms around him. “Michael, it’s great to see you. You sure look a lot better than the last time I saw you,” he said before letting out a hearty laugh. “I’ve been wondering how you were doing. What a nice surprise!”

“I’m doing well,” Michael said awkwardly. He was not a big hugger and didn’t expect such a warm welcome from a stranger.

The carpenter stepped back and stared at Michael’s forehead before placing his finger near the cut. “It’s healing well,” he said with a big, radiant smile. “I’m thankful to see that.”

“Yeah, me too,” Michael said nervously. “I want to thank you for helping me that day.”

“Oh it was nothing. You would have done the same for me,” said the carpenter as he walked back to the kitchen table and motioned for Michael to sit down with him.

“What exactly happened?” asked Michael.

“Well, it was really early and the sun was just coming up. I was walking to this job, which is how I get to all my jobs, and the next thing I know, I see you running, and then—bam!—you go down like someone shot you. Your head hit the ground hard and started bleeding pretty heavily. I took my shirt off and compressed it against your forehead to stop the bleeding and called for help. You were out of it, but when I asked you your name you mumbled it clear enough for me to hear and tell the police when they showed up. I figured you had people who would be concerned about you when you didn’t come back from your run.”

“Wow. I can’t believe you did all that to help me. Thank you so much. They told me at the hospital that you were a true hero. And you left your card for me,” Michael said as he reached into his pocket and held it up.

“I did,” said the carpenter.

“But it doesn’t have your name on it. I don’t even know your name.”

“Oh, forgive me. I usually write my name on the card. It makes it more personal. But with them rushing you off to the hospital, I forgot. I apologize for not properly introducing myself. My name is J. Emmanuel,” he said as he smiled and reached out to shake Michael’s hand. “J. is actually my first name and Emmanuel is my middle name. But everyone just calls me J.”

“Is J short for Jason or is it J-A-Y?” asked Michael.

“No, it’s just a J and a period. My parents believed I was unique.”

“Okay, J.,” Michael said with a smile as he shook his hand. “It’s nice to officially put a name—or an initial—to the man who saved my life.”

The carpenter laughed as he got up from the table and walked over to the cabinets he was building. “I’m just glad I was there to help. You know, when I’m not walking around the city saving people’s lives, I build things like this,” he said with a smile, as he proudly showed off his woodwork.

Michael may not have been handy, but he knew quality work when he saw it and these were the most exquisite cabinets he had ever seen. The guy needed help with his marketing, but he certainly didn’t need help with his carpentry. “They look incredible,” Michael said. “Do you build entertainment centers, too?”

“I can build anything, and I have built just about everything,” said the carpenter.

“That’s great because it just so happens that my doctor and wife are making me take a few weeks off from work to relax and get better, and I need someone to help me build an entertainment center. I would love to repay you for saving my life,” said Michael, figuring he could use the work.

“I’m honored that you would want me to build something special in your home, but please know you don’t have to repay me for anything,” said the carpenter as he put his hands on his heart. “I give and expect nothing in return. It’s a beautiful way to live and work. If you want me to build your entertainment center, I would love to but please choose me because of my work, not because you feel obligated. Never do anything out of obligation. Do everything with gratitude and love. It’s much more powerful that way.”

Michael nodded as he thought about what the carpenter said. There was clearly more than meets the eye with this guy. He had never met anyone quite like him. Most people would just take the job, but not him. He wanted to be hired for doing quality work. J. was definitely a different breed and he seemed like a man of principle; besides, a little philosophy never hurt. Plus, he was very skilled. Michael would have hired him regardless of whether J. had saved his life. Being the great listener and salesman that Michael was, he stood up and said, “Okay, how does this sound, ‘I am grateful that you saved my life, and because of your skill, I would love to have you build an entertainment center in my home’?”

“That sounds wonderful,” the carpenter said, laughing as he walked over and patted Michael on the back. J. knew they weren’t completely on the same page yet, but they would be soon. He could tell that Michael was a lifelong learner, and that meant they could build more than an entertainment center.

“When can you start?” asked Michael.

“I am almost finished with these cabinets and am booked for months, but I will make time for you and will rearrange some things. How about we start the day after tomorrow?”

“Sounds great. Here’s my address,” Michael said as he wrote the information on the back of one of his cards and handed it to J. “I appreciate you fitting me in. I didn’t realize you are so busy.”

“Oh, I am very busy. In fact they tell me I’m the busiest carpenter in the city.”

“Really?” Michael said, sounding very surprised. “Why is that?”

“It’s because of the principles that guide my business. I know the greatest success strategies of all,” said the carpenter.

Michael was now very curious. Surely, he wasn’t talking about his business card or marketing prowess. “What are they?” he asked.

“I will tell you when I see you in two days. I have a few other people who came to see me,” the carpenter said, before giving Michael a hug good-bye and waving to the line of people waiting to talk to him. And as Michael walked out of the kitchen and passed the group of people waiting to hire J., he started to believe that the carpenter might be a lot smarter than he thought.