SHARED
THOUGHTS – 30.07.2016
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My
Garbage Man.
Today I read a beautiful article. Immediately my mind took me to
the walking track in my neighborhood.
The days I go for my morning walk, I see this man engrossed in
doing his job. His uniform is the same every day. Perhaps if I see him in
another outfit, I may not even recognize him, unless he smiles. When I see him
every morning, he has this special ‘ear to ear’ smile for me, wishing a “good
morning” in a low tone. His smile reveals, a pleasure in doing his job, more
than all of his teeth. Today, for the first time, he came close to me to make
that Good Morning wish very personal perhaps. I responded back and for a brief
moment pondered if I should open up a conversation. He did not wait but merely
continued to do his job, adding that big smile to his overall, to anyone he
meets. He is the garbage picker in that neighbourhood. Perhaps he is aiming to
be the Best Garbage Picker award.
I will see him tomorrow too. And the day after..and a month later.
..or perhaps a year later, or even a few years later, doing the same job. I
would reckon that he may still be carrying that nice smile wherever he
went My morning walk, is the perfect time for me to ruminate over the ‘to
do’ for the day, week and much of my office matters. If he were to look at my
face, perhaps he would be wondering how I am able to walk briskly, with all the
heavy burdens of the world on my shoulders!!
Whenever the day sucks, I now make it a point to think of
him, our garbage picker... does he complain? Why is he enjoying so much what he
is doing? What’s his job satisfaction? Would he be really enjoying the job even
though he has one of the best smiles? Does he think himself to be a loser? Has
he reached the height of his efficiency as a garbage picker? What are his
thoughts? What are his ambitions, if any?
Seeing him on so many occasions, I can only see one thing in him.
Along with that big smile, he has a healthy attitude that’s looking for
something good in every day.
“Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are. It
solely relies on what you think”. Buddha.
Now back to the article I read that took me to this lovable
character. It’s a great lesson that teaches us how to deal with a situation in
a perfect way. Nobody has a perfect life. Everybody has their own problems.
Yet, with a correct attitude, one can deal with the problems in a perfect
way.
My Garbage Man
I had been working much too long on this job. I guess things could
have been worse. I certainly wasn't
doing hard labor, but going door to door asking questions as a representative
of the federal government wasn't the most satisfying position either. It was
August. It was hot. I had to wear a tie. "Hello. My name is Bob Perks and
we are doing a survey in this neighborhood..."
"I'm not interested!
Good bye!"...slam, lock.
You can't imagine how many times I
heard that. I finally caught on and
began with, "Before you slam the door, I
am not selling anything and I just need
to ask a few questions about yourself and the community."
The young woman inside the doorway, paused for a moment, raised
her eyebrows as she shrugged her shoulders, confused by my rude introduction.
"Sure. Come on in. Don't mind the mess. It's tough keeping up
with my kids."
It was an older home in a section of the valley where people with
meager income found affordable shelter. With the little they had, the home
looked comfortable and welcoming.
"I just need to ask a
few questions about yourself and family. Although this may sound personal, I won't need to use your names. This
information will be used..."
She interrupted me. "Would you like a glass of cold water?
You look like you’ve had a rough day."
"Why yes!" I said
eagerly.
Just as she returned with the water, a man came walking in the
front door. It was her husband.
"Joe, this man is here to do a
survey."
Joe was tall and lean. His face was rough and aged looking
although I figured he was in his early twenties. His hands were like leather.
The kind of hands you get from working hard, not pushing pencils.
She leaned toward him and kissed him gently on the cheek. As they
looked at each other you could see the love that held them together. She smiled
and titled her head, laying it on his shoulder. He touched her face with his
hands and softly said, “I love you!”
They may not have had material wealth, but these two were richer
than most people I know. They had a
powerful love. The kind of love that keeps your head up when things are looking
down.
"Joe works for the borough," she said.
"What do you do?" I
asked. She jumped right in not letting him answer.
"Joe collects garbage. You know I’m so proud of him."
"Honey, I'm sure the
man doesn't want to hear this," said Joe.
"No, really I
do," I said.
“You see Bob, Joe is the best garbage man in the borough. He can
stack more garbage on the truck than anyone else. He gets so much in one
truck that they don't have to make as many runs," she said with such
passion.
"In the long run," Joe continues, "I save the borough money. Man hours are down
and the cost per truck is less."
There was silence. I didn't
know what to say. I shook my head
searching for the right words.
"That's incredible! Most people would gripe about a job like
that. It certainly is a difficult one. But your attitude about it is
amazing," I said.
She walked over to the shelf next to the couch. As she turned she
held in her hand a small framed paper.
"When we had our third child Joe lost his job. We were on
unemployment for a time and then eventually welfare. He couldn't find work
anywhere. Then one day he was sent on an interview here in this community. They
offered him the job he now holds. He came home depressed and ashamed, telling
me this was the best he could do. It actually paid less than we got on
welfare."
She paused for a moment and walked toward Joe. "I have always been proud of him and always
will be. You see I don't think the job makes the man. I believe the man makes the job!"
"We needed to live in the borough in order to work here. So
we rented this home," Joe said. "When we moved in, this quote was
hanging on the wall just inside the front door. It has made all the difference
to us, Bob.
I knew that Joe was doing the right thing," she said as she
handed me the frame.
It said: If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should
sweep the streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music, or
Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of
heaven and earth will pause to say, "Here lived a great street sweeper who
did his job well." Martin Luther King.
“I love him for who he is. But what he does he does the
best. I love my garbage man!"
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“Life can be happier & stress free, if we remember one simple
thought: We can’t have all that we desire, but time will give us all that we
deserve”.
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Have a safe & peaceful week ahead.
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