It's not what you do, it's how you do it.

[kellinator]

I just attended a retirement party for one of our custodians, a lady named Elise. Elise is one of the sweetest people I've ever met. She always asks how I'm doing, how my family is, and she genuinely wants to know. And she does this for everyone. I've often wondered how she manages to always have a smile for everyone.

There was a big crowd there for the party. When Elise walked in, she burst into tears. And person after person came up to hug her, to talk about how she's made a difference. There are many more prestigious positions at the law school, but rarely have I heard the sort of adulation Elise got today. And she deserves every bit of it.

It just goes to show: It's not what you do, it's how you do it.

Comments

[whorlwind.livejournal.com]

that's a very good story, thank you. :)

[jerel.livejournal.com]

You can tell a lot about people by watching how they treat maintenance workers. The ones who are nice to them know that custodians are the invisible masters of the universe: nothing would get done without them. The ones who treat them like the garbage the custodians take out? Universally, they're jerks.

[kellinator.livejournal.com]

She really is -- and I was really moved to see the number of students who came to see her off. That's not something you usually see around here.

[heathrow.livejournal.com]

That makes me smile greatly.

[missrachael.livejournal.com]

It just goes to show: It's not what you do, it's how you do it.

My personal embodiment of this principal is one of the cashiers at the Toco Hills Publix... I think his name is John, and he's just the warmest, most engaging cashier whose lane I've ever had the pleasure to go through. Whenever I feel like my job is pointless, I try to remember that if my job stinks, it's probably at least partly because I'm being a cranky bitch, because that guy manages to make cashiering look like an admirable profession.

And then I go back to being a cranky bitch.

[mizdandylynn.livejournal.com]

My personal belief... and so true... it is how we can survive with each other.. I am glad she has been in your life.