Don't Judge a Book by it's Cover
By Jim Palmer Jr.

    One day I walked from my office to the Bi-Mart Store next door to purchase some hardware items.  As I neared the front door of the bustling local business I heard a loud “bang” noise that startled me.  When I turned to see what the noise was all about I realized that it was a truck engine that backfired as it pulled into the parking lot, and now was surrounded by its own little cloud of black smoke.  I smiled when I recognized who the driver was, and thought about that adage that says, “You should never judge a book by its cover”.

The beat up old farm truck that had backfired, looked like it had seen better days.  There was no tailgate on the truck bed which allowed old hay and baling twine to hang out the back, revealing what the old trucks life’s use had been.  The man and woman who stepped out of the truck sauntered towards the entrance of the store behind me.  Their dress was worn and their general appearance was disheveled like they had been working hard at dirty jobs.  They wore tall muck boots that had some of that stuff on them. 

I smiled again as good memories of these acquaintances flooded my thoughts.  These were some of the most educated, smartest business people that I know.  They are millionaires by my count (when I tally up some of their assets that I know about), but they probably didn’t have a nickel in their worn out pockets that day.  They run a successful farming operation which takes a bundle of skills, energy and grit.  They’re not only educated by the school of hard knocks, but have degrees from reputable universities.   

Some snobs would look down their nose at these people, while judging only on that outward appearance.  I learned early in my life and especially in the real estate business to never judge a person by their appearance.  When a scruffy customer walks into my office leaving a trail of mud from some previous outdoor activity, I don’t judge, but instead wonder where their paths have taken them and what they have to offer the world and how I can help.

The person who drives up in the Mercedes with open shirt, tanned skin and dangling gold bling may have far less education and probably less real assets than the scruffy farmer.