Friday, July 29, 2011

Nice People

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We’ve recently taken on a couple of domestic cleaning jobs. Now I’ve never liked domestic cleaning. Clients often fail to recognise you as a ‘real professional’, and to understand that this job, be it ever so humble, is actually your bread-and-butter and not just some way of making a bit of pocket money.

But our situation was such that we needed the work and we took the jobs gladly. And now I can hardly believe how fortunate we were to find them.

It’s the little things that make a difference. At one of the homes we clean, if the clients are out, they sometimes leave us a note. Now people usually leave notes for the cleaner when they want to complain about something, or to ask the cleaners to do a bit of extra work. But these ‘notes’ are little letters. The ‘Hi, how are you? Nice weather we’re having’ type of letter that you would expect to get from a friend or family member.

Both marriage partners and their little girl treat us as part of the family. The young woman has a serious back condition, and she often has to retire to her bed to rest while we are there. Such is the relationship between us that there is none of the usual awkwardness that would normally occur in a situation like that.

And the second most recent client works from an office at a complex of about fifty townhouses. The last time we cleaned for her, she was on the phone when we were ready to leave. Rather than interrupt her, we packed up quietly and left. We were driving home when my mobile rang and her name appeared on the screen.

Our first thought was that she was ringing to complain about something. What could we possibly have missed? But she was actually ringing to say ‘sorry I didn’t get to see you off. Thank you for a job well done and I’ll see you next fortnight’.

Maybe I’ve been moving in the wrong circles all these years? I have really never known people to be as ‘nice’ as the people I’ve met lately.

And what about the complete stranger who purchased my little eBook on Smashwords, and then made mention of me and my literary efforts on his Blog, along with another first-time eBook publisher? He was remarking on the fact that both of us had a vision - we wanted to write and publish and eBook - and we had seen it through to completion. I was so encouraged by his words and so very grateful to him for giving me the bragging rights for having sold a book. Even if I never sell another one - no one can ever take that away from me now.

I think life, or God, or the Universe, or whatever you might want to call it, is trying to show me something; that there really are some wonderful people out there. And perhaps, instead of hanging back and nursing my hurts from the not-so-caring people I seem to have met in the past, I should just get out there and start being a ‘nice’ person myself.

I should start seeking out others who need a bit of encouragement and appreciation. I should start showing them that there is still kindness and warmth and love in this often cold old, uncaring world. I may not be able to rush off overseas and start building wells and hospitals; or bringing about world peace. But I can be a little ray of sunshine for someone in a dark place. I can be a helping hand for some one who is down or a shoulder to cry on.

I can just try to become one of the nice people.

©Lyn Murphy 2011

6 comments:

Cheryl said...

This is a lovely and inspiring post. It really doesn't take much to lift someone's day... a kind word or a helping hand could make all the difference to that person you offer it to. Without sounding like a cliche, there really is enough crap in the world...

Megan said...

Wonderful that you have found some nice clients, it does make it hard when your work is not valued so glad to hear that you are being treated right!

Thanks for visiting my blog :)

Linda said...

Lyn...I love it when nice people come across my path. Whether it is in a store, or a restaurant, fast food, or any other public place. I usually thank them for being so nice!

This post reminds me that I need to also be that nice person who appreciates people.

Thanks!
Linda (From Lynnette's Mom~~~@Dancing Again)

Ray Colon said...

Hi Lyn,

The middle of your post, where you mention that you may have "been moving in the wrong circles all of these years," is exactly the conclusion that I came to a while ago. For me, it seemed that everywhere I turned - online and in real life - I saw people who were not happy and were more than eager to spread their unhappiness. Friends, colleagues, and acquaintances all seemed to dwell on the negative aspects of life. I felt that I needed a change and began to seek out new connections before I was consumed by the negativity.

It's great that you have found employers who are genuine and nice. We could all do with meeting more people like that.

Ray

Thea said...

What a lovely post!
And great insight!!

kden said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog Lyn! It's wonderful to meet people that really appreciate your talent and what you have to offer. Congrats on the ebook too. My husband has one too and it's such a long process to get it ready that even the smallest of purchase or compliment makes it all worth it.