By
Lorraine Glowczak
Insight reprinted by request
I
once met a young woman who is a well-respected and knowledgeable dog trainer.
It seems she knew the moment she popped into this world what she would do and
be when she grew up. Although, when asked as a child what she would do, she
would confidently respond that she wanted to be a zoologist and did, in fact,
obtain a degree in Marine Science. But it was the canine variety where she was
called and eventually found her true niche.
I
remember being asked that same question when I was in the second grade, in 1973.
Mrs. Dooley asked all 15 of us what we wanted to do with our “one wild and
crazy life.” I panicked. I really didn’t have a clue and I knew I had to think
of something fast. I was in the second row, so I had a minute to ponder a career
that would impress my peers.
Billy
said, “I’m going to be a professional football player.” Vickie was next to
answer and then it would be my turn. “I want to be a ballerina,” she said. The
pressure was on and I still hadn’t come up with anything unique. I wish I would
have simply told the truth and said I didn’t know because, after all, I was only
eight years old. But instead, I blurted out, “I want to be a cashier when I
grow up.”
Silence.
Complete silence from not only Mrs. Dooley but my classmates as well. I was
embarrassed. I had no clue why I even said that. The word, “cashier”, must have
been on the previous week’s spelling test.
The
lesson from this story comes in the form of two questions: Why the silence? Why
my shame?
What
I didn’t know then is that I would go on to do something, by society’s
standards, that might be considered a rung below a cashier. The perception was
confirmed about six months after I started my own cleaning business – scrubbing
away at residential and commercial properties. While I was proud of being a
sole proprietor, I was soon reminded of my seemingly unimportant career path when
I arrived home one day. Feeling proud of my entrepreneurial endeavor, the
self-satisfaction came to a screeching halt when I heard the message on the
answering machine (this was before the popular use of cellphones). The message
went something like this:
“Hello
Rainy!”, my highly educated friend from an elevated social standing began. “I
do realize that cleaning is quite the lucrative business, but – oh Rainy –
cleaning for others is so beneath you.”
I
knew she saw within me a different potential, but she did not see the value in
the service I offered to others – but perhaps more importantly – the service I
offered to myself. I was preparing to become a writer.
If
you ask anyone who works with their hands, they will tell you that some of
their most creative thoughts occur during routine and mundane activities. In
fact, according to an online magazine article written in “Psychology Today” by
author and medical doctor, Carrie Barron - it was stated:
“Research has shown that hand activity from
knitting to woodworking to growing vegetables or chopping them are useful for
decreasing stress, relieving anxiety, and modifying depression. There is value in the routine action…. foster[ing]
a flow in the mind that leads to spontaneous, joyful, creative thought.”
In
another article, “Lessons I Learned Cleaning Other People’s Homes”, written by
Inka Linda Sarvi, captured what I learned for myself in the cleaning business.
Sarvi was hired by Zenith Cleaning as a communications and marketing
professional, who was also required as part of her position, to clean homes and
offices.
She
said that every time she finished cleaning a space, she couldn’t deny how
peaceful she felt. “I now look forward to how good it feels to get lost in the
relaxing rhythm of wiping surfaces and the meditative concentration of focusing
fully on one task at a time. The strangest and most fascinating part is how
when I clean, I’m constantly struck with new ideas for short stories, poems,
songs and paintings, as if my creativity is no longer gated by the constraints
of time or assignments.”
She
continued by saying that it didn’t make sense to her how cleaning something
that inherently makes a space better and helps others is so looked down upon.
“It illuminates the truth that the stigma around it is no more than a
collective illusion, just one of many other falsehoods that make up the fabric
of our society.”
I
will admit I’m glad my career in cleaning for others is now behind me, as it is
hard physical labor. I pull weeds from my flower garden now to take its place.
What
I have learned about physical labor is there is no shame in working with one’s
hands. If I ever had an opportunity to return to the past and to my eight-year
old self in Mrs. Dooley’s class, I would proudly announce that I would grow up
to be a sole proprietor of a cleaning business. I would then quickly add, “I’m
going to be an author, too. I promise to give you all a signed copy of my first
bestselling novel. As for the other many books on the New York Times best
sellers list, you must purchase those on your own. Thank you very much.” And
then I would have taken a bow.
I
suspect there would be silence as a result of my overly self-assured announcement.
But I would be proud that I would one day be working with my hands – not only
in cleaning the homes for others to add sparkle to their homes, but in the
typing and the sewing together of words that could potentially put a sparkle in
others’ lives.
Sources:
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