On HOW we do our jobs

I think when you work in the medical or health related field, you are made to be more mindful of your direct impact on patients. People usually are not in front of you when they are a picture of health or when their children are developing typically (in my case). I think we are mindful (though some aren’t) of our actions and how we present information to our clients or patients.

I know I’ve blogged on something similar before stating that no job is mundane and your job is your mission field. You can read that by clicking here. It’s good to remember that every job has an impact, and every job affects another or helps another [person in the forefront or direct care] do his or hers.

I was reminded recently of the fact that HOW you do your job is just as important as you doing your job. We are all connected and we all can have a positive impact on another. Maybe your mission today is simply that smile you give the person on the elevator that needs a small bit of encouragement as you take the elevator to your floor? Maybe you make eye contact with the person you pass on the sidewalk on the way to work who feels that no one sees her? Maybe buy the person behind you at Starbucks their coffee?

I was the recipient of simple “work place kindness” a few weeks ago. After much dreaming and thinking, I decided to open a side business to do speech therapy. Little did I know how confusing the process could be. I realized I needed a business license and I’m new to St. Louis so all the rules here are unknown and don’t make much sense yet. Mind you, I'm still in the learning phase in navigating my new city so my sanity lies in a delicate balance on a daily basis. any slight tip can cause mental catastrophes of various proportions. In order to not be caught off guard, I emailed back and forth with the city licensure office to find out exactly what needed to be done in order to get a business license. They electronically sent the required documents. Sweet, I printed and signed them and got all the necessary information. I ran into the city hall building to the office. This would only take a second because I was so prepared, right?

I through the door behind two other women who were there for other business (praying their business wouldn't take long as mine would just be a sec). One of them sat at the window/desk next to me while the other waited in the chairs that lined the wall. My clerk handed my papers back to me immediately after I handed them in and asked where my occupancy permit was. My what? I didn’t have a document for that. I said, “Oh, that, I probably don’t need it as I’ll be in homes working.” Nope, that didn’t fly. She then proceeds to tell me that I have a couple options: I could go the zoning committee office today in the off chance I can be seen or make an appointment that could take 4-6 weeks. WHAT?! It was like she was speaking another language. My brain could not compute - I think it was scared of that possible catastrophe. She walked away and the woman next to me leaned over to ask what my business was for. I hurriedly told her all the while thinking she was nosey. When the clerk walked back up to find me still wide eyed and dumbfounded, she started to repeat herself when the lady next to me said “I’ll help her.” I was more confused. The clerk gave her the side-eye and told me my options again and added “or you can go with Mrs. Dorothy.” I turned to look at the stranger behind me that had walked in with "Mrs. Dorothy" because I had no one else to turn to!! She just said, “Go with Mrs. Dorothy. Trust me.”

WHO IS THIS MAGICAL MRS. DOROTHY??!!

I sat by the door to wait for this mysterious woman to finish her business and went with her. What if this is a joke and she zip-ties me and locks me underneath city hall? We go up to the top floor and into this corner office: Business Assistance. She tells me not to do anything else without her and that she will go with me to any other offices. She tells me that she is going to walk me through every step of the way. I start to wonder how much this is going to cost. I sat at her desk looking around for a fee schedule. I then see several bible verses or messages of encouragement on her wall. Ah, I get it. I just breathe and relax in my chair. I felt cradled.  i exhaled for the first time since entering the building. Walking into the office at the exact moment as Mrs. Dorothy was no accident for me that day.

This service was free yet no one told me. NONE of the women in the office bothered to tell me there are offices like this to assist. Where is your sisterhood, people? I might have left that day defeated and very much delayed in my endeavor, but I didn’t. Mrs. Dorothy spoke up. Those three words, “I’ll help her” made all the difference during a week that felt overwhelming and challenging. It felt like she claimed me and made a choice to cover me in kindness. This advocacy took so little but had such an impact. I wonder if the disciples gave Jesus that same side-eye and raised eyebrow look when he spoke up for the disenfranchised, the weary, and margin-dwellers and said “I’ll help her.”  

I witnessed another person in the same position do the same job on another day with another person when I returned for my license. It was not the same -- same job but much different experience. He “did his job” but with many sighs, hurried questions, and exasperated tones. When I came back on this second visit, Mrs. Dorothy did most of the legwork running payments and applications around city hall while I waited at her desk. She waited with me until we got all the clearances and then walked me down to the licensure office to get my license. I loved watching Mrs. Dorothy’s interactions with others. She smiled, she was the first to speak and exchange niceties. There was a genuine quality to every single thing she did.  I walked out that day with my license in hand and yet another experience of walking with angels on earth.

Doing our jobs is important but how we do that job is equally as important. You never know your far reaching impact on another.

If someone makes an impact, encourage that person by sending a thank you card or telling him or her how much you appreciate the kindness. I sent Mrs. Dorothy a thank you note. I want her to know how much she meant to me and that I believe she walked in the door that day at the exact time that God meant for her to. She was my gift that day.

"So no matter what your task is, work hard. 
Always do your best as the Lord's servant, not as man's." 

Colossians 3: 23 (the Voice)

With love from a fully licensed business woman,

Danielle