During my university years I used to travel by train from Timisoara to Oradea, my home town Because in Romania it is a custom for people to share their life with one another, some of these trips turned into quite enlightening experiences.

On one of these occasions, I met a man that was a carpenter/mason. He loved his job and he spoke vividly about it. He described several happenings from his work with wood and stone, but what remained with me was his philosophy of dealing with his customers. He did not like contracts, but instead he preferred “sa lase loc de buna ziua” (in Romanian). In English this would mean “to leave room for a good day”. In other words, he strived to fullfil his job in such a way so that the customer will continue to greet him afterwards.

You might say that he was a simple man, but I still like the simplicity and elegance of his point of view.