Every Job Is Important: Working Responsibly as a Janitor

(Minghui.org) When my family began struggling financially, I got a job as a janitor in the municipal hospital—I was responsible for cleaning one entire floor. Hospitals are usually difficult to clean because of the large number of people who come and go. The smell can be unbearable in the bathroom, especially if it hasn’t been cleaned for a while. I wasn’t used to the job when I started, but now I no longer feel it’s difficult.

Returning Money

I once noticed a roll of money on the sink right before I cleaned a bathroom. I immediately thought about the woman who just left, so I quickly stepped out into the hallway to return the money. The hospital entrance is near a main road, but she was nowhere in sight, so I returned to the bathroom and waited. After about 20 minutes, a woman entered, and began looking around. I asked, “What are you looking for?” She said, “I dropped my money but don’t know where it fell.” I asked, “How much was it?” She said, “Five hundred yuan.” The money in my hand was exactly five hundred yuan, so I gave it to her. She insisted on giving me a hundred yuan as thanks. I replied, “If I'd wanted a hundred yuan, I wouldn’t have given you the money. I practice Falun Dafa so I won’t take your money.”

Many people witnessed what happened. When I told the woman who sells roasted sweet potatoes near the hospital entrance the facts about the persecution, she immediately agreed to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party organizations she’d joined. She told me that she did so because she realized that Falun Dafa practitioners are good people after she saw me return the money.

Another time, I picked up money I found near the door of the head nurse’s office and put it on her desk. She said it wasn’t hers and told me to keep it. I replied, “This money isn’t mine, so I don’t want it.”

Tolerance and Open-Mindedness

After I worked in the municipal hospital for a few years, I began working in a factory hospital. A few years later, the factory hospital switched to a property management company that handled the cleaning, and the janitors’ responsibilities were redistributed. One department was dissatisfied with the previous janitor and strongly requested they hire someone else. The supervisor asked me to clean that department. The area I was responsible for doubled in size, but my salary remained the same. I thought that cultivators should not argue about they way we’re treated, so I took on this additional responsibility and of all the janitors, I did the most work. The team leader and the supervisor later praised me for my attitude and for not complaining.

When I was cleaning a bathroom, a patient asked me, “Do you also clean the toilet?” When I said yes, she said, “Look at my coat. It has holes after I used the toilet.” I took a closer look and saw several very small holes. She told me that it happened on Monday although it was already Friday. She said the coat cost over a thousand yuan and she wanted me to compensate her.

The coat looked very old and worn, so I said I would pay her 200 yuan. She agreed. However, I found I only had 100 yuan in my pocket, so I went to borrow from a coworker who operated the elevator. The coworker told me just to give her 100 yuan because the problem happened days ago, and the time for her to make a claim had already passed. The patient then talked to the manager and the team leader, but the team leader thought 100 yuan was sufficient. Finally, the patient said she would accept 150 yuan. The head nurse, the nurses, and the doctor in charge said they would just give her 50 yuan. But I didn’t let them pay for me.

A similar incident happened to the janitor in charge of outpatient cleaning. The janitor and a patient argued after the patient used the toilet. The patient was very angry and reported the janitor to the hospital dean. The janitor was later fined 100 yuan. The incident caused an uproar. The property manager compared the two incidents and praised the way I handled it during a meeting.

Praised by Many at Work

When I worked at the factory hospital, I clarified the facts to a nurse, and she said, “You demonstrate tolerance, and everyone likes you.” The nurses and doctors respected me very much. The hospital’s leaders often checked the hygiene conditions in different areas. When the director checked my work, he praised me and said, “It’s well cleaned. No odor.”

Some janitors cursed while they cleaned, but I didn’t. A patient’s family member said, “You’re always cheerful. Why don’t you have any complaints?” The mother of the hospital director usually did not talk to the workers, but every time she saw me she said, “The bathroom always looks great after you clean it!”

In addition to the municipal and the factory hospitals, I also worked in another hospital for four years. The leaders praised me during meetings, and said that I did a good job and took the trouble to guide the new janitors. The leader in charge of logistics told me that they never needed to double-check my work. When I said I planned to leave the hospital, the squad leader, supervisor, manager, and medical staff were very reluctant to let me go.

My Husband Is Supportive of My Practicing Falun Dafa

My husband was defrauded in a business venture and lost nearly one million yuan many years ago. He hadn’t worked since then, but kept thinking about starting another business. Unfortunately, he couldn’t handle big money but he didn’t want to do menial work either. My meager income supported my family for 20 years.

One time, my husband told me, “My friends’ family relationships are all broken, but you’re the only one who stayed and never left.” I didn’t say anything, but I knew that it was because I practice Falun Dafa. Most people only look out for themselves these days, so under similar circumstances another woman would have divorced him. Who would support someone who did not look for a job, but just stayed home doing nothing except cook?

My husband continued, “I know that Falun Dafa is good. I support you from the bottom of my heart. You don’t bother anyone about anything, so how can you not be good?!”