I was visiting a friend in the hospital and as we sat around talking, we took advantage of the snack closet. We grabbed some saltines and graham crackers to settle our hunger pains. You can image that after hours of eating these crumbly snacks we made quite a mess.
When the cleaning lady came in to clean the room, we were embarrassed by the mess and apologized profusely for the untidy state of the floor around us. I will never forget her reply.
“No problem. It’s my job and if you didn’t need me, I wouldn’t have this job that I love.”
Wow, what a response. How refreshing it was to hear someone so passionate about their job. She had an innate understanding that her work helped give us pleasure in a time of need. Her response will be forever stored in my memory.
I started thinking about how awesome her response was, and it reminded me of the Jimmy Buffet song “It’s My Job.” The first chorus goes like this:
In the middle of late last night, I was sittin' on a curb
Didn't know what about but
something had me quite disturbed.
Street sweeper comes whistling by and he's bouncing every step
Seems strange how good he felt so I asked him while he swept
He said it's my job to be cleaning up this mess
And that's the best reason to go for me
It's my job to be better than the rest
And that makes the day for me.
A great lesson to be learned. No matter the job, when you do it with passion and purpose you will get satisfaction for a lifetime.
We all can take a lesson from the lady in the hospital or the Jimmy Buffet song. It’s my job to be better than the rest and that makes the day for me.
Until next time…I’m Marty, make every minute count.
Comments