There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.
—John Holmes
During the Christmas holidays, I watched a group of amazing people deck the halls for kids at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Guys on the center’s Facilities Management Team worked through the night to surprise young patients with an amazing “holiday hallway” to wander through, complete with dazzling lights, Christmas villages, and churning trains. Because of carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and painters, a dark basement hallway was transformed into a festive extravaganza, a labor of love that’s been under way for nearly thirty years. “It may have started out as a little bit of a competition between the shops,” Jim Imparato said, “but it just took that one kid to come down and look at it, to see they’re down, especially if they’re coming back from a treatment. . . . It’s a joy to see.” On their own time, with their own dime, team members create the magical walkway each year. Watching the kids enjoy their surprise was an awesome gift I’ll never forget. Way to go, Christmas Crew! You may look like tough guys, but clearly, you’re all heart.