He has white hair and a long, white beard. If it were Christmas time, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him in a big, red suit.
He talks with a friendly drawl: a tone and way of speaking that makes him easy to listen to. Listening to him, you want to be his friend. And he dresses down: blue jeans, tennis shoes, never a tie. He looks like he sounds: pleasant, low-key, easy to get along with.
So we had a big meeting the other day.
It had been on our calendars for a very long time. A meeting in a big, fancy room with big, fancy monitors on the walls and microphones within the reach of everyone. A meeting with higher-ups seated around a long table that encircled a podium. A meeting where the presenters all wore ties.
William was one of the presenters.
We passed him in the hallway beforehand. He was wearing dress slacks and a long-sleeved dress shirt. And he was wearing a tie. A tie! William was wearing a tie! But as he passed, we noticed that he was also wearing running shoes. Running shoes with his tie.
You know, you gotta draw the line somewhere, otherwise folks might begin to wonder.