hope you were able to see the made-for-TV movie "Door to Door," which aired on TNT the third week in July. It was about a subject we see from time to time - namely, a person with a physical handicap overcoming the difficulties of getting through life and actually surpassing most other people in the process. I am a sucker for this type of movie, and this one was particularly special for me because it was written by and starred one of my favorite actors, William H. Macy. Another reason that I liked this story so much is that it is a true story about a man born with cerebral palsy who, after finding it difficult to get a job doing much of anything, gets a job as a door-to-door salesman. Imagine a man being barely able to walk, unable to use one hand and with a difficult speech pattern becoming his employer's number one sales person. How can you not be inspired?

Truth is, one of the primary reasons that we like this type of movie so much is also because it has an element of nostalgia about it. It reminds us of a softer, gentler time in America. It reminds us of a time when things moved more slowly and when such simple dreams were still possible.

It's another example of the way people in America venerate and adore the past. Ask an American to conjure up an image of quintessential Americana - a Fourth of July parade, the paintings of Norman Rockwell, the movies of Jimmy Stewart - and it is likely to involve the small-town memories of a time now believed to be gone. It is no accident that the Walt Disney Company puts a classic, old-time Main Street at the front of its amusement parks.

But as I watched this wonderful movie, two very important things caught my eye, and neither of them is gone.

The first is that the character on whom this story was based is still alive and selling. Bill (the real person, not the actor) has survived his company's decision to downsize field sales and begin to rely on phone sales and the Internet.

Sure, he has had to learn the new products and the lingo and even has his own Web site, but he has not forgotten that it is all about getting out there every day with people. Going out rain or shine and even when you don't feel very well (he seldom did). Because people like people. You can't have a relationship with a Web page.

The other thing that popped out at me was the encouragement of Bill's mother. A single mom raising a child with a handicap - even though she was sliding away mentally because she had Alzheimer's - knew the keys to being a great salesman. She always told Bill to remember that he must have patience and persistence.

Come to think of it, that is also how you become a great person.