A noble Russian

I was listening to Boris Goudunov on my way to work -- my goodness, how dramatic that opera is. I got engrossed in an English-language recording and didn't even have time to be resentful of the traffic jams on the way to the office. So noble Russians were on my mind this morning...

Then I thought of another one. A young guy at work is having chemo yet he never complains and keeps coming to work. He doesn't have any family here so he is coping with this all on his own. I keep sticking my nose in, trying to help, but he's too much of a private person.

I thought, here I am always whining about this and that, and there he is, struggling for his life without a complaint. He comes in every day, no matter how much pain he is suffering, and gets on with life.

I think of him as such a noble presence in our office -- he inspires me to try and be a better person.