observation.

There is this woman that comes around and collects the trash down my cubical row. I always try to talk to people who are "housekeepers" or whatever they are calling that position these days. Even if it is just a "Hey, how are you?" I always enjoy talking to them because they will talk back to you. For some reason, they don't try to impress you with what they did over the weekend or hide that they're exhausted. I was talking to one woman yesterday...she's an older black woman, I'd say around 55. She said, "MAN it's monday..." I said, "I know...but at least the day is almost over!" (It was about 2:30...we get off at 3:30.) She said, "Not for me...I won't be done until 11 tonight." I said, "Good land, what else do you have to do today?" Come to find out, she works at Wal-Mart and here. She said that she has worked 2 jobs for most of her life. The shift here starts at 7am and she works until 11pm, to go home, get in the bed, and be up again around 5am. She finished doing what she was doing and she just looked up at me and slowly put my trashcan down and said, "Well...you just do what you gotta do, ya know?" I just laughed and said, "Yep." She pushed her cart on off. I had a major priorities check.

It's so interesting how, regardless of how many times you get figuratively slapped in the face about something, you ALWAYS repeat it. I usually do. I complain all the time (just ask a cooke) about being tired and hating to come in in the mornings so early. I just get comfortable and tunnel visioned about how much is going on around me. Sometimes you just need a slap in the face because you forget to be thankful for what your life actually is.

Then today, I was getting on the elevator to come down to the conference room to get things together for the morning meeting and I saw this same woman getting off the elevator with another woman that works near me (I think she's a glorified secretary). Now, this woman, from all I can tell and gather, is about like talking to a can of compressed air. You know the typical woman I'm talking about. White, loud, wears a lot of flashy jewelry (especially gold) and tends to dress in animal print. [No Auntie Em, not you. This woman has short hair. ;0) hahaha] Anyway, she was talking a mile a minute to this woman about something going on in her life that was bad...I heard the older black woman say, "Well, I sure hope she gets better.." and the woman say, "yeah, yeah me too...okay, well, I will see you later, BYE!" It was more like, "YEAH,yeahmetoo...okaywellIwillseeyoulaterBYE!" Off she rushed in a cloud of perfume and hairspray...and cheetah. The older woman just pushed her cart on and started emptying trashcans.

It just makes me wonder, in life, how often am I the cheetah print loud mouth? How often do I talk about what is going on in my life to people...when if I just took a moment to ask them how they're doing, they would tell me of REAL issues. Now, I'm not saying that woman didn't have a real issue. I don't even care what they were discussing on the elevator ride up. I just know that when the can of air woman was done talking, she just finished up the conversation and rushed on her way. Her attitude was just had this air of "I'm important" about it. When the older housekeeper passed me, she just looked at me and I smiled. She breathed a weak, "Hi," and kept walking.

I'm not really sure if what I'm trying to say here is coming across in the right way...but in summation, I need to get my head out of the sand and realize what is going on around me. Again.

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Isaiah 40:28-30