A little background.....

I work with a guy. Over the years we have spoken and, for the most part, been pretty cordial. I always thought he was a little rough around the edges, but, whatever.

The last few months he got a lot more comfortable with me and really started sharing his thoughts on his/our work peers and none of it was pleasant. Basically he was ALWAYS complaining about other people. Yep, one of those guys. Well, not too long ago he went for broke and uttered a few racial slurs in one of our conversations. I was shocked and caught completely off guard. Not long after that we had a disagreement over a work issue. Not a big deal but I knew I was right. The next day I saw him he said "Good Morning" and I let him have it. I told him I needed a break from him and to basically leave me alone. He played dumb and said he didn't understand why. Since that encounter he would see me and say "Good Morning" and I'd say it back and we went about our day without ever saying another word to each other and I was fine with it.

Now to the good part..... He is from Michigan but is a huge Alabama football fan. I don't know what his ties (if any) are to that university but, hey, go for it. He always knew I was a big Michigan football fan and that I especially liked Coach Harbaugh. When we did talk, it would get a little heated and he always talked bad about Harbaugh and how he's a dirty coach, bad person, etc.

Fast forward to New Year's Day (just this past Monday). Michigan beat Alabama in the Rose Bowl to advance to the national championship game this coming Monday night.

So I went to work yesterday and proudly wore my Michigan shirt. This time he walked by my desk and we went the whole day without saying a thing to each other. That was the best conversation I ever had with him.