Society+Relationships
Respect the Janitor
What being a janitor taught me about life and relationships with people
I stared through my windshield through the big glass windows of the corporation that needed my services. At least that’s what I tried to tell myself because I didn’t want to go inside the building that contained a myriad of layers, both within its infrastructure and social climate.
You are humble and you are the definition of humility.
You have cardinal virtues. Use them.
Have Fortitude.
Temper your passions.
This is temporary.
This is your rite of passage to something greater. Stay focused.
Above all things…do your job so you can eat next week.
There were plenty of days and nights I needed this pep talk before walking into work and looked at like I was less than a human being at times. Being a janitor is an honest living. The coworkers that I shared tasks with were peaceful, humble, and good-natured people. This was a second gig for some single mothers trying to make ends meet. Fathers struggling to get some extra cash to put their children through school. A black entrepreneur that owned his first successful business who hired me, and fought to earn the contract to clean the facilities at this establishment.
Then there was me. The poor college student without a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out. I didn’t even have my pride. I let that go a long time ago. My mom used to tell me great pride leads to a mighty fall. Valuable lessons I draw on to this day.
So why do some people look down upon people that come from all walks of life, working an honest job that most people consider to be demeaning? A lot of people don’t take the time to get to know anyone, show empathy, or have compassion for others. These are just a few of the life lessons I put in my kit bag in the corporate world, as an Army Officer, and as a human being.
Let’s unpack a few of these lessons.
People Matter
One of society’s greatest hidden ills is the tendency to devalue, degrade, and dehumanize the people in the jobs we need most.
Being a janitor taught me a lot about what people consider valuable. Their time. Their money. Their position. What they respect. Most importantly, it greatly reflected upon what people dignify as worth acknowledging in their everyday lives.
Every time someone bumped, swiped, or narrowly walked past me without even a simple head nod I could feel their lack of respect for someone in my position. Someone of my caliber or position didn’t deserve a greeting or an apology. Hell. You’re the trashman. Piss cleaner. The HELP. Keep your head down and take out my trash. Clean that toilet so I can take a dump, urinate all over the floor, and throw my paper towels next to the trashcan while I visibly see you cleaning up my mess.
Though our job is to clean shit, it didn’t mean we weren’t worth a shit.
I said to myself, whenever the positions are reversed I would always speak to the people that take the best care of me. The janitor. The waste collector(My preference in calling them that over “trash man” or “garbage man” in society). The chef…not cooks…culinary professionals. The housekeepers in hotels. The security guard sitting or walking in the cold air or hot sun.
These professionals deserve the simple common courtesy of looking into their eyes and recognizing that they exist and matter with a simple, “Hello. How are you? Thank you very much for all you do.” I make it my mission to learn their name and at least try to put a smile on their face. Provide a simple Christmas or birthday card. Ask about their children. It’s the least I could do. I know how it feels to stand on your feet all day, tend to others’ needs, and have someone turn their nose up at you on a job you don’t even want to come to every day.
The least you can do is provide common courtesy. Whether you are the CEO or the poor gentleman in the stall cleaning the toilet seat, you deserve respect and to be looked at as a human being. Anything less is inhumane.
Never forget the men and women who keep the corporation a sanitary and healthy place to work so you can focus on your goals and dreams. They are as big a part of the company as you, despite them not being in a suit or lovely dress.
Pride and Humility
Now let’s discuss being an employee of what is perceived as one of the worst jobs in society. Like many, I didn’t want to be a janitor and perceived it as a bullshit job. Yet, I had to make ends meet to survive. I put in several applications and that’s the job that gave me an opportunity while a high school graduate working on my degree. Mop the floor and eat, or hold on to my pride for nourishment. Easy decision.
I’d shovel shit, I’d C.O
So we can bow our head and pray over the meatloaf
That one Rick Ross bar has stuck with me for life, not just as a human being that realizes sacrifices must be made, but as a father that would work three jobs if I had to in order to ensure my family has what they need. During my year serving people in that business by literally cleaning up their messes from bowel movements to waxing the floors they walked upon, I learned a lot about myself. I broke down barriers of what I thought I was “too good” to do.
Kings went to battle with their men. As an Army officer, I was the first one out and the last to leave on every deployment, mission, and “dirty task.” Still am. That’s leadership. I’m not too good to do anything besides break the law and belittle myself as a man. I had to ask myself one question. If I’m “too good” to do this job, then who is good enough to do what I don’t want to do. Most importantly, what makes me better than them?
Not a damn thing. My poop stinks like everyone elses. I know…because…I cleaned it.
Altruism and Empathy
I realized how sick I was as a human being and had to adjust my mindset. Don’t ever look down on any honest living, and never be ashamed of earning an honest wage. We all have to start somewhere. Hell, many of us have to start over sometimes. No matter where you are in life, it can be temporary if you allow it to be. Becoming a janitor focused me and made me trust the process and respect my journey toward my ultimate goal. It made achieving my dreams that much sweeter. I knew without a shadow of a doubt I worked hard for it, and would never forget my process or the people that encouraged me through it cleaning the same dirt I was.
Having a rough rocky process allows you to reflect and empathize with others who are currently taking the same journey as you, or simply hit a rough patch in their life. Don’t dismiss them. Don’t tell them to do better. Don’t patronize them by giving your life story and ask them what’s taking so long either. People will run their race at their own pace. If you’re not on the track running with them shut up and offer them water. Clap and cheer them on.
Meet people where they are in life and give them an opportunity. Give them a hand up not a handout. That’s all I wanted. Respect and assistance that I was willing to earn.
Final Thoughts
This is not a session on being a janitor sucks and no one wants to do that job. That’s not necessarily true. Some people desire to work and own businesses in some of the typically less desirable careers worldwide and get paid handsomely for them. From my point of view and my experience while being a janitor I absolutely hated it, but I learned a lot from that job. I learned to mop with a smile on my face because I found out what it meant to be truly grateful and appreciate what I did have in life. It was my pitstop to my ultimate goal. For some, that is how they may make a living until they are unable to work and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
I simply beg of you to think of these three things the next time you pass by a janitor or someone else doing a job you couldn’t see yourself doing:
- Did I say hello to him/her today?
- I see him/her every day. Do I even know their name?
- Did I say thank you to them today for taking out my trash or cleaning this facility?
This isn’t just for the janitor. You can use these same thoughts for personnel around your workplace. You never know what smile you bring to their face could be a true blessing and uplift to their day.
Special thanks to Devon J Hall who truly inspired me to write this with her thoughts on being a farmer.
