Have a heart, courtesy

Blessing Musaririr Shelling The Nuts

This can work two ways. It can mean that it is a shame that people cannot love the work they do and life shouldn’t have to be like this, or it can mean don’t feel that just because you are uninspired by your job that you should not bother to put some care into doing it.

On paper, I am a lawyer. A qualified barrister. I have not practised a day in my life. While I enjoyed the concept and the study of law, in my second year at university I realised that I did not have the passion for it. I found criminal and family law the most interesting, but I also enjoyed understanding the rest of it. This was good for my sense of always wanting to know why, however, it did not translate into a desire to put anything I learnt into practice.

So you may ask, why, if I came to this realisation in my second year, I did not change my course of study. The answer is that I like to finish what I start and also, I didn’t know what else I wanted to do. I loved reading and I wished I could get a job that paid me to read, but at the age of 19 and coming from a background where people studied medicine, law or some other such illustrious courses, I couldn’t imagine what I could study at university to lead me to such a job, that my parents would pay for, and so I stuck the course.

My first job that was not for the family business required me to use my legal knowledge to some extent. Going to work in the formal sector was exciting for the first few months while I learnt many new things, met a variety of people, and had a couple of profoundly extraordinary experiences, but this soon settled down to a mundane everydayness.

Soon, the routine of getting up at the same time, of getting ready, to make the same journey into work to do the same things week in week out, began to wear thin. I began to dread Mondays with every part of my being and I dragged myself through the week. I didn’t want to make appointments with people and I hated it when people arrived at the office to see me without an appointment. I wasn’t busy much of the time but I would find ways to avoid being available so I wouldn’t have to deal with anyone. I told people I was miserable, but worse than that I was bored. I was bored because I wasn’t interested in what I was doing.

The usual response was to tell me not to give up a good salary and to use the downtime at work to do the thing that I enjoyed doing. This was not possible as I was constantly aware that I was not supposed to be doing whatever it was I was doing that was not what I was being paid to do and thus I was always on edge in case someone came in and caught me red-handed. It wasn’t worth the effort it took. I felt guilty and I hated that I could no longer smile at people and be interested in doing what they needed from me. Not so some other people.

Recently, I had to go and conduct some business at a certain Government office. This business was done while I stood outside a window, looking into a small room where three uninterested women did a very good job of ignoring me until I spoke. When they answered me, they did so as if they were talking to each other or someone else in the room and as part of a pre-existing conversation so that I had to ask, if they were addressing me. None of them was actually looking at me, instead, they continued their discussion about the merits of a pile of petticoats which a fourth woman just inside the room appeared to be selling.

This was actually my second time at the window; I had come three hours prior to that and been greeted with the same lack of interest and told to come back at 12noon because it was the end of the month.

This meant nothing to me and a few questions later, I was given the very testy answer that, there were no receipt books as they had been taken for the monthly audit. The tone implied that I should have known that and not bothered them by asking irritating questions. How would I have known such a thing? Anyway, fast forward to three hours and a discussion about petticoats later, the sun was savagely assaulting me at this point and the conversation moved on from petticoats to make-up before my papers were finally received. Now, I am not a person who just follows instructions without wanting to understand the process, so I began to ask questions.

These were not well received and by the time we were done one woman had leaned forward to forcefully repeat the instructions I had questioned. What she was basically saying was, just do what I’m telling you and don’t keep bothering us with your questions.

I understand that very few people have the luxury of leaving a job that is slowly sapping their will to live; a job which does not fulfil them or give them any satisfaction. I understand that most jobs are just a means to a monthly pay cheque and therefore a necessity, but this does not mean that the job should not be done to the best of one’s ability. I am grateful that I had the option to leave my job and find out what it is that truly inspires me. I appreciate that this is not an option for many people, but the jobs that are there, that maybe you can longer or maybe never loved, are there because they need to be done. People obviously need these services that are being provided and it’s not their fault that you, in that particular job, are unhappy and uninspired. Maybe things are bad at home and in your life in general, you are not alone in this and what you are doing when you provide indifferent service to other people is making their life that much harder on that particular day. Betty Bender is quoted as having said; “When people go to work, they shouldn’t have to leave their hearts at home.”

This can work two ways. It can mean that it is a shame that people cannot love the work they do and life shouldn’t have to be like this, or it can mean don’t feel that just because you are uninspired by your job that you should not bother to put some care into doing it. I may be stretching it a bit with that latter interpretation, but really, have a heart. If it was you on the other side, would you be happy with the same treatment?

I walked into a Bon Marche supermarket on Second Street one morning and got something from the vegetable concession. The young lady bagged and weighed my goods after smiling and saying good morning and when I completed my business with her she smiled again and completely took me by surprise when said; “Thank you for visiting our vegetable stand, have a good day.” My first thought was, Oh this is definitely her first day at her first job and cynically I wondered how long her pleasant demeanour and enthusiasm would last. I hope she doesn’t change her approach because what she has is rare, and it will take her far. I know things are hard and life is unfair and unnecessarily trying at the best of times.

I know we are always on the look out for something better and brighter, but how will you ever recognise that when it finally arrives in front of you if it’s too much effort to look up and simply say, “Good morning, how can I help you?”