If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, then go out and sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
In a recent research project involving hospital workers, the researchers encountered some surprises, one of which was truly memorable. When interviewing custodial workers, whose jobs were to clean patient rooms, they expected to hear some negativity, that it was hard and dirty work. While they did hear some of that, they also found a group who thought their work was highly skilled and very important. They thought of themselves as being part of the healing process. One worker pointed out that she often re-arranged wall hangings in the rooms of patients who were comatose, because "you never know when a change of scenery might spark something." It wasn't that these workers merely found ways to make their jobs better; they made it a different job.
These workers might have been creative, but they may also have been good students. One executive housekeeper taught his crew to pay attention to the wastebaskets. If a wastebasket was full of food wrappers and drink cups, that patient had visitors, had friends & family. But beware the empty wastebasket---that patient had no visitors, none that stayed very long anyway. For those patients, he told his crew, you ARE their family. Spend more time there; get to know them. These behaviors can be taught, can be learned and adopted.
"And the King replied, 'Even as you do this for these, the least of my brethren, this you have done for me.' " Matthew 25:40
What joy can we create today out of our seemingly mundane tasks?
Blessings.
NT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
In a recent research project involving hospital workers, the researchers encountered some surprises, one of which was truly memorable. When interviewing custodial workers, whose jobs were to clean patient rooms, they expected to hear some negativity, that it was hard and dirty work. While they did hear some of that, they also found a group who thought their work was highly skilled and very important. They thought of themselves as being part of the healing process. One worker pointed out that she often re-arranged wall hangings in the rooms of patients who were comatose, because "you never know when a change of scenery might spark something." It wasn't that these workers merely found ways to make their jobs better; they made it a different job.
These workers might have been creative, but they may also have been good students. One executive housekeeper taught his crew to pay attention to the wastebaskets. If a wastebasket was full of food wrappers and drink cups, that patient had visitors, had friends & family. But beware the empty wastebasket---that patient had no visitors, none that stayed very long anyway. For those patients, he told his crew, you ARE their family. Spend more time there; get to know them. These behaviors can be taught, can be learned and adopted.
"And the King replied, 'Even as you do this for these, the least of my brethren, this you have done for me.' " Matthew 25:40
What joy can we create today out of our seemingly mundane tasks?
Blessings.
NT
