DENVER, Colo. — Looking clean and pristine was once the standard of travel.

"These folks are the best. No matter who I get every time I have time when I'm in Denver, I always stop and get a shoe shine," said one pilot at the Denver airport.

It's what veteran pilots have always known.

"I know it doesn't look like it by looking at me, but I've been doing this for 27 and a half years," said another pilot.

However, time has shifted and fewer less travelers are gliding through the airport in tip-top shape. Jill Wright, the CEO of Executive Shine, has watched it happen the first time and that's why her business has stood the test of time.

"The world's changed a lot," Wright said. "We have a saying that we say is: 'what does love look like here, for the person in front of you right now,' and that's how our whole business runs."

You don't need your fanciest pair of shoes to stop by! Your leather sneakers or favorite boots will certainly suffice.

"Those are the trends that have shifted. It's gone from really stiff to really soft, and I think that's kind of symbolic for what's happening with people," Wright said.

To Wright and her team, a shiny pair of shoes is simply the cherry on top. This business, in the center of the Denver airport, is about connection.

"I mean it literally gives me life to have you guys come back and see us again. Just knowing that I touched your day in a special way," said Tara Soto, an employee at Executive Shine.

People share their stories as they sit down.

"These boots I actually got while I was in Germany visiting my grandma," one woman explained.

We've learned many airline staff won't go anywhere else in the country.

"The only place I've gotten my shoes shined is here," a pilot told us. "We all know when we buy our next set of shoes gotta go through Denver."

Wright says it is rare people are given the opportunity to share and the employees, sitting in front of them, really care.

"People still need to be seen and be appreciated for who they are," Wright said.

"It goes deeper than the shine for me for sure," Soto explained.

Soto says shoes are a metaphor for how people judge themselves.

"When you look at your shoes, you come up and you're like, 'Oh, they look so good,' and there's a little bit of color off the tips of the toes or they are not in the best shape, ya know, sometimes that's how we as people look at each other or even ourselves," Soto said. "Just dirty, without purpose, trying to find your worth, trying to find your beauty that you have inside."

It's a journey she's personally experienced, working here for nearly a decade.

"Going through the transformation of cleaning them and conditioning them is really a personal transformation that we go through in life too," Soto said.

We all know the saying to walk in someone's shoes and in this case it's connecting sole to soul.

"Always put yourself in the shoes of someone else," Wright said.

BALTIMORE — What started as a small interaction in Baltimore has turned into inspiration for people around the world.

In between showings in Federal Hill Sunday, realtor Alyssia Essig parked at the Museum of Industry to eat lunch.

It’s where 19-year-old Asen Gyenyame was practicing a tough skateboard trick.

“I probably sat there for a solid 20 minutes watching him continue to try,” said Essig. “I know the power of being told that someone believes in you, so I just thought I’m gonna hop out of the car real quick, give him a little love, and then be on my way.”

And that’s what she did, unknowingly on camera.

“Whatever you do in your life, you’re going to knock it out of the park. Only because you’re sitting here, busting your (expletive) to nail this one trick. You’ll do that the rest of your life,” Essig told him.

“I didn’t expect what she gave me,” said Gyenyame.

He was inspired. Minutes later, he nailed the trick. The next day, he decided to post the interaction on TikTok.

“It got a lot of traction,” said Gyenyame.

In just a few days, it has captured the hearts of millions of people.

“I think we made the world a little better just because of it,” said Gyenyame.

But Essig had no idea… until her husbands’ friend in California saw it on Reddit.

“I was crying reading these comments because it seems like people are so starved for love and attention and affection, “said Essig.

They hadn’t even exchanged names.

Scripps Baltimore station WMAR’s Abby Isaacs found them both on social media. It brought them together for a heartfelt reunion Thursday at the place they met, the Museum of Industry parking lot.

“I love your energy, so thank you so much for giving me that support,” said Gyenyame to Essig.

What they gave the world as inspiration, but they got something out of it too.

For Gyenyame, it was supporting.

“We can support each other, and everyone doesn’t have to stand alone and be by themselves. A lot of people have the mindset, even I do. That’s why I was skating alone, that you have to do it by yourself and that’s the only way, but you can reach out to other people, and it can be beneficial for the other person,” said Gyenyame.

For Essig, it was affirmation.

“I have a very big loud personality, and I struggle. Not everyone likes that. A lot of people think it’s too much or too loud or too in your face, but when a million people like it and 30,000 comments are like, ‘You’re amazing.’ ‘Your energy is 'awesome,' it’s very reaffirming like you know what no I’m actually pretty okay and I can be who I am,” said Essig.

The pair have vowed to stay connected and carry positivity into their everyday lives.

Essig wants to start sharing words of encouragement on her TikTok page @alyssiaessig_realtor, and Gyenyame hopes his newfound following on TikTok @skatevibes01 will help turn his passion into a business where he teaches kids how to skateboard.

Abby Isaacs at WMAR first reported this story.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The number of positive coronavirus tests in Kentucky increased again Friday, driving the total number of cases in the state over 30,000, but Gov. Andy Beshear said the percentage of tests coming back positive declined again.

The closely watched “positivity rate” fell for a third straight day to 5.43%, Beshear said in a news release.

“But, we still have too many cases and we need to do everything we can to try to decrease those,” he said.

There’s also been an increase in intensive care unit patients, he said.

There are at least 30,151 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, including 778 new cases reported Friday, Beshear said. The number reported Friday was up from 659 new cases on Thursday. Four new deaths were reported Friday, bringing the total number of Kentuckians who have died from the virus to 735.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness and be fatal.

Comedian Dave Chappelle has tested positive for COVID-19 but is asymptomatic, according to a statement from his spokeswoman obtained by CNN."Dave Chappelle is quarantined after testing positive for COVID-19. His remaining shows at Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin, TX have been canceled," Carla Sims, Chappelle's representative, said in the statement."Chappelle implemented COVID-19 protocols which included rapid testing for the audience and daily testing for himself and his team. His diligent testing enabled him to immediately respond by quarantining, thus mitigating the spread of the virus. Chappelle is asymptomatic," the statement continued.The website for the venue Chappelle was set to perform at with fellow comedian, Joe Rogan, shows his upcoming performances as canceled.Rogan posted a news site's headline saying Chappelle had tested positive for COVID-19 to his verified Instagram account and commented, "Sorry my friends, the Friday and Saturday shows at @stubbsaustin have been cancelled."