A Conversation with a Vet Tech
This subtle bar talk shifted my mindset about how services can affect people. A man out the struggle turned rich & followed his passion.
Last weekend I was tending bar at a local boutique hotel where I meet the most diverse groups of people, in San Antonio, Texas. Everything from military people, doctors, lawyers, real estate monsters. Meeting those people are definitely the highlight of the job, but sometimes a couple stand out more than others. This talk with a veterinarian technician really changed my perspective on why people do things and the effect they have on others.
Mr. Molina Outta SC California
A proud Mexican man out of South Central Los Angeles and his look fit the stereotype. Light mustache, dark complexion, wore regular clothes with a hat backwards with the name Molina in the front. He drank a Jack & Coke. The first couple were doubles then he slowed down and started going singles, although then he started to get chatty with me as well as the other patrons.
In other words, not the type of person you’d think to be a vet tech+run a business. He told the stories about the rolling 22s of Cali, the gang wars, his “party” days in the hood in which he’d cook, get high. Like damn, this was most definitely a conversation I did not want to be apart of, then it shifted.
At the end of his growing up story, he told me how he came to Texas on a road trip and saw a friends parents who did well, asked them for a job doing some bs low wage thing. In which he got the opportunity, they even gave him a place to stay for free until he got on his feet. Then he spoke of his rise.
He had dreams of becoming a vet tech. From gangbanging drug user to a vet tech is quite the parallel, but he also knew there was not money in it. So his next move was to start a business in lawn care and also go to school which he did. I then asked the burning question in my head… Why a vet tech? I could understand why he’d start a business.
At First You’re Like… Then You’re Like!!
Your first thought would be, well he loves animals? As it was also my first thought. What he said blew me away. He said something along the lines of, “I do it because I want to make people happy, that bond you have with your pet, it is special. When that little girls dog is sick, she doesn’t know what is going on, she just wants her best friend back. Same thing with older folks or people that don’t have anybody but their pets… Their pets are their world and it brings me pleasure to bring them hope, happiness and even comfort them through their hardest times.” Holy f***. This hit me hard. This whole time I was first order thinking, when he was thinking of the implications, this ex-gangbanger from Cali had a view, a thought I had never even considered. Going back to the low pay, he said he knew it was low pay, that is why he started his business. So that he could pursue his passion. Jesus Christ, this man thought in 3D, a true diamond in the rough.
Hit Me Particularly Hard
It hit me particularly hard because my mom when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2017, had my Rottweiler to take care of her. He was with her through the hardest times, protected her, gave her companionship and unconditional love. Anybody who had the pleasure to view it knew it was a special relationship. Picture that, a 5’1 Mexican lady with a 110lb rottie. Oh the car rides and times they had together. She loved that dog as did I.
In 2023 our rottie, Titan (who answered to “puppy” as well) passed on to what animal lovers call rainbow bridge. He passed in his home, in his favorite spot where i’d sit and play video games and he’d lay at my feet. When he passed, he was a heavy dog. My best friend, who I could never repay for this, took care of the hard part of putting him in a crate with blankets and such at midnight.
Everyone is Unique… Everyone Plays a Part
So what this guy did, his contributions to society are unique. Anybody can come back from anything and do what their passion passion is, even if it is a low paying job. Just as Mr. Molina did. He then told stories of how people sometimes will clutch their purse when he is on his way into work, only to find out that he is their vet tech. Such a well spoken man, it was such a pleasure to meet him.
Thank you Mr. Molina for showing this perspective of life. The second or third order thinking that is not so apparent, but is so damn important in this world.