For those who are regular commuters on the D.C. rails, you've probably become familiar with Mr. "Welcome aboard to the Washington D.C. Metro. Please use all 18 doors. I repeat: there are 6 cars, 18 doors. Please use all of them. And no, this is NOT a recording." This guy has an uncanny gift for vocal delivery and humor, and it brightens your day and stands out from the normal unintelligible drawl of sleepy Metro drivers.

Some of us roll our eyes at his seeming newness and gaiety. (Many discuss his announcements because they are so peculiar. In fact, I recently overheard one lady say, "He's new. It will wear off." I would add, he has been driving Metro rails for several weeks/months now and his energy has yet to lag.) But that day, I was struck with gratefulness for his delivery. Yes, maybe he's showing off his mad vocal skills. But honestly, I'm glad to see he's making use of the gifts God has given him.

This reminds me of another such small icon back home in Hawaii. She was a Costco sample lady in Waipio, Oahu, back in 2002, and she used to sing songs and yell, "Yee--haw!" to get us to try her food products -- bread was her specialty. It worked. People came in droves. They called her the the "Yee-haw lady." It caught on so fast, that many in the store use to echo her. You'd hear her distinctive "yeeeeee hawww!" and others, several aisles down, would yell back, "yeeee hawww." She eventually won a spot in the local newspaper for her routine.

You could roll your eyes and think she was an obnoxious lady. Or you could say, good for her. She was using her God-given gifts of joy and encouragement, brightening everyone's day. 

So wherever you are planted, live it up. CEO or janitor, White House aide or Metro worker, pick up those God-given gifts and use 'em. Don't waste them. Bloom where you're planted and see where it will lead.