A place I used to lecture had a few 'big' names come through over the years, & they'd always be the names advertised. Sometimes it'd be me, other times, my boss. The lectures were what people came for, but we had one guy that had been there for decades before I got there & was there many years after I left, until his death in his 90's.
He would stand at the door, greet people, & hand them a program. He would shake hands, joke with anyone's kids who came, offering them a sticker or piece of candy if the parents said it was ok, offer to hang ladies coats etc. The guy was basically a fixture there.
One day I heard he was going to be out for an extended period of time, so since I didn't have anything going on, I volunteered to take his place. The scheduling lady asked if I was sure & I chuckled & said I thought I could handle it.
Turns out, this guy was not only at EVERY event, doing his greeting thing, he'd stay after for hours, cleaning up. He cleaned the 8 bathrooms in the facilities before & after the events, he swept the sidewalks & walked the parking lot picking up cigarette butts & trash before every event. He made sure there was water on the platform for each of the speakers, & when they arrived, he'd offer to get them anything they needed, like food, note pads, pens, etc.
I kinda stood there a minute, thinking of the time & logistics it'd take me to accomplish all that, when she laughed & says that she'll get some help & delegate the various jobs.
Here's the kicker...I said that when he retired or passed away they'd have to pay a lot of money to fill that job. She looked at me & said, "Oh no... He doesn't WORK here. He's not in the payroll at ALL. He volunteers to do all that. The candy & stickers? He brings those. When he gets stuff for the speakers? Out of his pocket. Doesn't even use our supplies when he cleans stuff. Brings it all from home."
I just stood there floored & could only ask why.
She said, "I asked him the same thing years ago. He just said he loves the people & the place, he believes in what we do, & simply wants to do something to help.".
From that day on, I've never been able to look at ANY job done well, as unimportant or insignificant. I ain't saying that on a soap box or directing that at ANYONE discussing this guy, I swear. I'm just sharing my experience & reasoning for my comments.
