Boo and I were in the Charlotte airport recently and made a beeline towards the restroom before we caught our flight out. There was a woman working in the restroom cleaning up the counter, offering personal items and checking each stall as it was exited. As each person entered the restroom she cheerfully said:
Hello ma’am, welcome to clean bathroom, have a blessed day.
We said hello and looked for an empty stall. She said her little line to each and every person who entered the bathroom. I had to hold back giggling every time she said “clean bathroom” because it sounded like we were at a very special event….the greatest show on earth. There must have been close to 30 people who entered and exited while Boo and I were in there. And guess how many people said hi back to her?
Two.
I know it was two because I counted. I started counting after the first three or four people completely ignored her and walked right past.
Of course four or five people were probably in a frantic hurry and not paying attention. Maybe a few thought she wasn’t talking to them. Maybe one or two visitors were deaf. But what about the other people?
Sure that woman was being paid to keep up the restroom….but how hard would it be to acknowledge her and say hello back? Imagine how great that would make her feel! Imagine how great it would make everyone feel…..
I managed to stack all our luggage up so only the smallest possible surface area was touching the ground. Boo walked into the (very clean) stall and the first thing she said was “OH GREAT…it’s the toilets that flush by themselves.” She’s had some traumatic events with those…..something about taking the time to cover the seat with paper triggers the flush mechanism a little too early. You should see how fast she jumps off when she’s done.
I gave her a dollar to go and put into the tip jar and Boo says really loud “but why would we give her a dollar?” And I explained that it was a grateful way to tell the woman that we felt really super welcome in Clean Bathroom. She dropped the dollar in and told the woman thank you…I couldn’t hear what the woman said back to her but they had a little moment. Then Boo proceeded to make a complete mess of the counter with soap and water (she’s a very thorough hand washer)….enough of a mess that I was thinking I should tip a second time. But the woman walked over with her towel and cleaned up the 6 square feet of surface area affected by Boo’s splashing….almost as if Boo was a royal visitor…..and said in a cheerful boom:
“YOU, MY CHILD…..have a blessed day.”
And I’m convinced that one woman set the tone for our long trip. Her nice words carried right over the not-so-nice demeanor of the lady working at Bojangles. Airports can be the worst places on earth sometimes. And the sometimes the best. It’s a chaotic crossroad of so many different types of people going all different directions. And then it gets shaken up and stirred when you add in some weather or mechanical issues. The pages of my journal tend to fill up when I’m waiting for a plane…especially when people are boarding. That’s when they really seem to get testy. I actually write down my pilot’s name too. You never know when you might want to thank your pilot for landing the plane safely. It’s the one reason I’m never in a hurry when I travel.
*****
P.S. I did the calculations quickly in my head and figured out that if the woman in the bathroom says her “hello ma’am, welcome to clean bathroom, have a blessed day” at least 5 times a minute for eight hours…she’s repeated that line about 2,400 times a day. And if you take my small sample size of 30….she gets a reply only 10% of the time. That means that lady gives out 2,400 nice words and only gets 240 back. That takes a lot of energy. Could you imagine if she got a reply 100% of the time?
I love this, and you are right! I am often the only one to acknowledge others, though my kids now do, too. You are teaching Boo something very important, just by being kind.
Loved your post! As someone who cleaned bathrooms for my student worker job on campus, I always try to thank the janitorial staff…even when they aren’t as welcoming as the lady you posted about. If only more people were as dedicated and happy about their jobs as she is!
i told the custodian from my nursing school today that she does an amazing job. we students wash our hands meticulously and make messes too. she cleans up after us and i just wanted her to know she was appreciated. i hope i made her day.
My bestie always said something nice to EVERYONE, seriously everyone. As we drove through the tollbooths she would even say a few words to the attendant. It was one of the things that made her so amazing. After she died I vowed to do the same, I hope that I do, I really try. It is so so simple to be kind.
I love how you spread kindness to the world through your ACTS and TEACHING others through your writing. A recent trip to Disneyworld brought a similar situation to light, this time with the men and women working tirelessly sweeping trash 24/7 in order to keep Disney ‘Magical”. Who really litters any more? That’s disgusting. But as people rushed past, often times bumping them or their brooms or hitting them with their strollers as they frantically run to the next line, never once acknowledging them let alone apologizing, I was mortified. I always try to thank everyone who helps others, especially those less desired jobs. I think it is awesome that you are spreading awareness of kind behavior through the power of your words and this large platform. Bravo to YOU! The world needs more people like YOU.
That is really sad!! An excellent reminder to all of us about how powerful our actions and lack of action can be!
You need to find a way to get this message out, because more people need to read that. It hurts my heart when my children wave and say hi to someone and they are completely ignored. What is that teaching our children?
Side note:concerning the automatic flushing toilets, put a piece of toilet paper over the sensor. It set my daughter’s potty training back significantly because every time she sat down it would flush. Funny little tip, but figuring that out was a lifesaver!
Saying “hello” and “thank you” and smiling – how about smiling? Whenever we’re inpatient we chat up the cleaning crew that comes in. And the CNA’s. And then we write notes to the higher ups about specific people who made our stay better – like the CNA who managed to take vitals without waking the baby or the lady custodian who kindly entertained all our older child’s questions while mopping our floor, or the coffee lady who upsized my latte for free because I “looked like I was having a rough day.” I have thought about taking flowers to the parking garage attendant because she is ALWAYS there and is ALWAYS smiling. I might take her some fingerless gloves instead. Or both.
I hope someday one of your readers meets that lady & says, “I’ve heard about you & your delightful bathroom!” I think that would make up for at least one or two of the jerks who don’t acknowledge her. I used to be an engineer, working with a bunch of other engineers, who are not always the most socially adept, and I quickly got a reputation as “the girl who smiles at everyone in the hall.” Seriously, there were miles of hallways in that joint – we might as well acknowledge each other while we scurry around in them!!
This, I love. Thank you for sharing your statistical bathroom data. May it remind us to all be kind whenever the choice is there. 🙂
i loved this post! and i would have stopped and talked to her. because its what i do! lol but i am from arkansas and we southerns think manners and kindness are part of everyday. ( and we make our kids say please and thank you and sir and ma’am bc we are awesome!! and i hear god bless you at least once a day bc we love jesus) i would have tipped her also! thanks for being a sweet thank you and little conversation for the poor lady stuck in the airport bathroom!!!
Love this. Great reminder for us all. 🙂
(and I have a son who is terrified of those toilets!)
This story is such a great example of Col. 3:23,24: “23Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, 24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.…”
There is honor in all jobs and she does hers with excellence, and in doing her job with such grace and loveliness, she impresses some of those she encounters to strive to be better as well.
As a life’s work, you really can’t do much better than inspiring other’s to be better human beings, and she is. So can we.
I was in that bathroom last April and was so pleasantly surprised by the sweet bathroom attendant and her kindness towards everyone that entered. I, too, make a point of acknowledging the staff in bathrooms. Last summer down in Dana Point at the state beach there was an attendant cleaning up after the mass of people coming through. There was a 2 day event on the beach and it was very crowded. I thanked her for her hard work and how nice it was to come into a clean bathroom at the beach. She was so surprised and pleased by my comments. I left and told my kids how easy it is to brighten someone’s day. A kind word goes a long way. Thank you for your post. xo
HELLO-
It is just basic, common courtesy to say Hello back. I can’t imagine just ignoring someone? How hard is it to say hi? Two letters. I can walk towards a stall and say hi at the same time. This is definitely a good reminder to make sure and use kind words!! Thank you 🙂
I just can’t imagine walking past this woman and not saying hello and thank you. As busy as the airport is words and smiles are as easy as the blink of an eye.
Kathy
This really is such a great reminder for us all — and for setting an example for our children. Thank you for this post!
Oh and about the automatic toilets — we carry sticky notes in my purse for that exact purpose. Both of my daughters are TERRIFED of the automatic toilets. The sticky notes are awesome, especially for the wall-mounted sensors. I just pull it off after everyone is finished and it flushes as we leave the stall. No scary flushing while a germaphobe 4-year-old is trying to balance on the toilet.