Janitor Chronicles #2

My mop glided quietly across the tile floor. I had a method of hitting two rows of squares at a time, thus making my work go by quickly. I still had a couple of classrooms to mop. It was 8:30 p.m. — three hours until quitting time.

Pope High School resembled a tomb. The kids were gone and all who remained in the building were the custodial staff. I was their newest member and fresh out of college. I quickly learned that mopping should be done close to the end of the day. You didn’t want people walking across your work.

I wrung out my mop and continued on.

Suddenly a man turned the corner and walked right down the middle of my floor.

“Um, sir,” I protested, “the floor is wet!”

The guy looked down his nose at me and said, “So? You’re just a janitor. You can re-mop it.”

I should have stuck the mop handle up his butt but instead I just stood there and stared. How dare he talk to me that way?

Jackass.

I heard his voice for days. “You’re just a janitor.” I wasn’t “just a janitor.” I was a recent honors graduate from college. I was an award-winning cartoonist. I was… I stopped and thought for a moment: I realized I’m not my job. But how I do my job is a reflection of who I am.

It was one of the most important lessons I ever learned.

Today, editorial cartoonists are going the way of the passenger pigeon. I’ve seen several of my peers lose their careers entirely. And when their jobs went away, they sank into depression. They were their jobs. Knowing that I’m not a job title gives me strength in uncertain times.

I’m not just an editorial cartoonist. Or a speaker. Or an author. Or a radio host. Or a…

I am who I am. The rest reflects that.

I could easily end up mopping floors again at Pope High School. If I do, I hope that guy walks down my floor again. First I’ll thank him. He led me to the most important career advice of my career. And then I’ll stick the mop handle where the sun don’t shine — just because.

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