I had dinner last week with a gentleman {may want to insert sip, right off the bat}… don’t worry, my husband was there too! This gentleman is a very successful businessman out of New York. His success, was no question… he seemed to have everything it takes, the charismatic personality, the look – with his black, mock turtleneck and tweed, sport coat. I’m not sure, but he may have been wearing jeans, which I think is a nice, approachable look. I couldn’t really tell because when I arrived at the steakhouse .. an hour late, he had already been seated. Late to a dinner meeting, you ask? Well, I am a woman! Actually, if I remember correctly, I think Macy’s may have been having a sale … you ladies get it, priorities. {sippy cup} Anyway, throughout the year, this gentleman travels all over the United States. He makes several stops to Michigan, thanks to my husband, who generates some good business for him. By now, you’re probably wondering where I am going with this. It’s ‘Word’s & Wine Down Wednesday’, I don’t have to stay on track. I’m a woman equipped with a lot of wires, and many tabs open. But nonetheless, grab your wine glass and I’ll tell you where it is that I am going … {sip, optional}

We’ve all heard, or at least I hope you have, the phrase ‘Leave people better than you found them’. It’s always been one of my favorite quotes. It sticks with me, I think about it once in awhile … mainly when I come across a person who has left me ‘better’ than they ‘found’ me. It doesn’t take much, trust me! I need as much ‘better’ as I can get! {gulp} So going back to this gentleman, and what it has to do with this quote. You see, this particular dinner meeting was one of those moments. Now I already knew that my husband highly respected this man. They have been doing business together for the past year and this gentleman has impacted my husband in many ways. But before this night’s socializing, I had never met the man in person before. I knew some things about him, I knew he had his faith, I knew he had raised five children who were all thriving, and he was a happily married man. I also knew that his wife occasionally traveled with him, and assisted him with some of the nitty-gritty’s of his training agendas. On one such trip, my husband had actually done business with her and didn’t even know it was his wife, until after the fact. I knew this man had built his own empire, starting out owning his own tool and die business and now his consulting firm. He told me a story about working as an intern while in college. Everyday, he would show up at the business he was interning for and a particular man that worked for this company would walk around ALL DAY and say, “3:30!” .. “3:30!” .. “3:30!” My dinner companian proceeded to tell the story. On the last day of the internship, he asked this man, ‘Why do you walk around all day saying, 3:30?” Very matter-of-fact, the man replied, “Buddy, you just wait! You’ll be saying those same words the rest of your life, too!” That was all it took! My dinner companian knew from that point on, he would NEVER work for anyone else but himself, EVER! And that’s exactly what he did! Ahh, the power of words. {my mouth is dry, after that …big sip}

Another interesting thing I knew about this man, was he had a grip on my husband, better than I do. {gulp} After sitting and chatting for several hours over ‘Oysters on the Half Shell’ and a few glasses of wine, {sip, optional} it all made sense to me. I knew exactly why this gentleman had such a grip on my husband. You see, he is one of those people that leaves you better than he found you. The trickle down effect is people have a strong desire to be with someone like that. They motivate you, they lift you. You are encouraged by them. You can’t stop looking directly at them and taking in every word that comes out of their mouth. Your ears burn, you want to pull out your smartphone, pull up your notes and start documenting what they are saying to you, with quotes, words of wisdom … but it’s all too fast, it’s all too much! It’s no wonder this guy speaks to several hundred people at a time and has more business offers than he has time to do. It all makes sense. People like this leave you better than you were. If we could bottle that up, put a patent on it ….. we wouldn’t need a Powerball for 1.5 Billion!!!!

While continuing our chat, this gentleman, whom I now admired, became concerned that he was boring me as he was telling me about his legacy: His failed first marriage, the disappearance of his wife at the time, and his two toddler children, whom he later recovered and raised with his current wife and their 3 children. We talked a little bit about politics, but you can do that when you’re on the same page with someone, and can shake your head in agreement. He talked a little about his faith, shared what all his grown children were doing, and a few laughs over the dynamics of married life and parenting a large number of kids. Most people can’t relate to some of the trials of a large family, so when you come across someone who has done it, and done it well, you’re drawn to them. Here I go traveling into another open tab. All right Tracy, back on track now sister, back on track. {sip time, and maybe a yawn}.

My point is, don’t underestimate the power of what you can do in someone else’s day, week, or life. This isn’t about giving someone a welcoming smile, or a nice compliment, or buying them dinner or a gift… sure those are all great and have thier appropriate time. I’m talking about approaching every interaction and every situation with the intention of leaving anybody better off than when you found them. That’s what a legacy is. That’s what creates a life that will live far beyond your years. That’s true power!!! {tippy-tippy} It’s the beginning of the year, and we’re all doing our January Jumpstart! Lets make a concious effort to not only make ourselves better, but other people better, too! I’ll drink to that!

Oh the wine, I almost forgot, AGAIN! (sip) Today’s wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon by ‘Dark Horse’. My daughter likes this wine and brought home a bottle for this past Monday’s, Bachelor night. This is not personally one of my favorite Cabs. It’s definitely a cherry bomb hitting the olfactory sensors laced with smoke, wood and licorice, then layers of cassis, boysenberry and concord grapes. It lacks the little bit of sweetness I am looking for in a cab. I generally drink white wine with fish, but I had a glass of this ‘Dark Horse’ prior to eating my dinner and still was not as fond as other Cabernet. I would rate it 5 out of 10. But my daughter likes it, so it may be worth trying for yourself. Don’t forget today is also ‘What I Eat Wednesday’ on my Snapchat (@ tracy_hensel). Here’s a look at tonight’s dinner. What wine are you drinking with your dinner tonight? Feel free to comment below or snap me!

If you take one thing from this post, besides the wine recommendation (of course), “Be the one who nurtures and builds. Be the one who has an understanding and a forgiving heart. One who looks for the best in people. Leave People BETTER than you found Them!” ~ Marvin J. Ashton 

Zara Blanket Scarf: sold out, eBay has a similar ‘Zara’ here, and other ‘Zara’ options here and here . I also LOVE & have this one here  |  Sweater: sold out, similar here and check out this one on clearance for $14.99 here   |  Burgundy Skinnies: on clearance here and here Boots: Sold out, similar here, here and here  |  Phone Case (mentioned on Snapchat): Cabernet Phone Case

Disclaimer: Beverages containing alcohol are often associated with sharing, pleasure, unwinding and socializing. However, there are times when drinking at all, or too much can be risky to you or to others. This blog post is for light-hearted, sharing ONLY! If you are over the age of 21, and choose to drink, please drink responsibly and don’t drink and drive.