the cleaning lady

on friday morning a lady cleaner came to the office to vacuum as usual. when she greeted me i cheerfully said good morning, and then she looked at me for a second and said, "you are really very pretty!" at that particular moment i actually felt flowers blooming inside me. i don't know why. compliments like that are not unusual. but she looked so happy and sincere when she said that and that sort of kindness overwhelmed me.

i like these ladies. the lady at the cafe downstairs. the lady at the front desk. the lady cleaner. these ladies i like to be nice to, not because they often say i'm a pretty girl (well, i guess it is a bit relevant) but mainly because i feel easiest with them. they always give out comforting smiles and i respect them as much as they respect their jobs and more importantly, themselves and others.

my father always gave the blue collars the warmest greetings, like an extremely friendly and dramatic "good morning!" and the way he did it always made them smile. his voice was so loud and strong and full of energy. when i was younger i thought it was embarassing, but then i realised how lovely a man he was. he was actually balancing the world out.

i hate having to be so careful with those ladies in chanel or guys in suit-and-tie, if they can accept me treating them as my equal i do not mind hanging around, but some of them seem to like the idea that they are superior having their good jobs and earning their good salaries. i don't think it makes one respectable simply because one is a professional or earning a lot.

i wonder why those who get to sit in the office without sweating at all can earn a better living then those who work under the sun sweating a lot. it just doesn't seem fair. it is not fair either, that one is born to be smarter so he/she gets better grades and better offers in life, while the other one is doomed to live with less, having been born to be less intelligent (study-wise).

so i try to have my respect better allocated, respect is to be earned, and it has to be hard earned. i can be pretty biased, and i am also easier on those whose life demands more hardwork. it is only to be just. i won't look up to you because you earn a salary 10 times more than i earn each month, i will look up to you if you are still respectable despite all that.