Janitor Insights

I'm still at work, but decided to use the veiled option of emailing a post to my site.

 

The janitor kept hovering around me as he disposed of the trash this evening. Made a little small talk and then came back to tell me that the other janitor that talked to me all these years had died a few months ago.

 

It was a sad moment. I remember him. He always called me by name and I would wave across the parking lot. He seemed to like that I acknowledged him and spoke to him when he emptied my trash.

 

Apparently he was "really old." He didn't look old to me, but the new guy says he was in his 60s. Hmmm. Not so old in my mind.

 

But, the new janitor thought I should know because he knew that I talked to him all the time.

 

It's interesting to realize that there is this entire janitor sub-culture going on all around our organization. All of them were nice to me and would wave across our campus. It has never mattered which of the nine buildings I was in for meetings, all the janitors would talk to me about life and act like I was one of their friends.

I guess the janitors share amongst each other how all of us interact with them. I must have made the nice list. What an honor!

I'm grateful this janitor remembered that I knew the other janitor and passed on the news. He didn't share it with anyone else, just me.

We never really know who is watching, do we?

I'll leave work today a little more aware and hopefully a little kinder.