what he is

i'm sure he's a lot of things beyond his deep set eyes and crooked smile. i'm sure he has more up his sleeve than he shared with me, but when i asked zach three words to describe himself he thought for just a moment and said, outgoing, respectful, and funny. if someone asked me the same question, i'm not sure how i would answer. it seems like a loaded question. ask me on tuesday and the answer just might change by friday. but not zach, he was so confident in his answer.

outgoing and funny seemed like pretty normal high school responses, but i was taken back by respectful. what made him answer with that word? why was this character trait important to a guy that has the world at his fingertips? i can't answer for sure, but something tells me that he's had some influential people in his life share just how important respecting others is. and something tells me that he has had the character to believe and follow their leadership.

because he said it, i paid attention. and he was respectful! i have nothing against cell phones, but because i was introduced to this technology when it was the size of a duffle bag i don't understand it becoming like an appendage. not once did he take call, text, or play with his phone during our shoot. in fact, i never saw it until i was helping him carry his stuff to his truck and it was in the seat. it might seem like a silly thing to notice, but it meant a lot to me. i guess it's the little things that add up to character, and he's got it.