They’re everywhere. In every big city and small town. In every neighborhood, apartment building, and office complex. In classrooms and hospitals. On the streets or on the bus. They’re the unseen people.
They’re often those who serve us – the person who cleans your hotel room or the airport restroom. The stocker or checker at the grocery store, the person at the drive-thru window, the wait staff in the restaurant. The person who delivers your mail or picks up your trash.
But they’re not just people in low-profile jobs. They may sit near you at work or at church. They live across the street. You see them on the elevator every day. They’re everywhere, and yet they’re unseen. They’re unseen because we fail to recognize or acknowledge them.
Our society is experiencing an epidemic of loneliness. Because we modern human beings fear strangers, interact less often with neighbors, connect less often with co-workers, and prefer texts and tweets to eyeball-to-eyeball conversation, social isolation is rampant. We “assume” that people don’t want to interact and hesitate to connect with people whom we see as “different” – in appearance, religion, life-styles, perceived social status.
Last week I stepped into a hotel elevator at the same time as one of the housekeepers. Crammed into the small space, my back against the wall, I leaned over her cart filled with linens, paper coffee cups, coffee supplies, soaps, cleaning products, and housekeeping tools. Much to her surprise, I spoke to her and struck up a conversation. It was a simple conversation that started with simple questions – “I’m Julie. What’s your name?” “So, Sherry, how’s your day going?” “Is the hotel full tonight?” “Does the hotel send out the sheets and towels or are they washed and dried onsite?” “How many rooms do you usually clean each day?” And finally, “Thank you for what you do.”
At the initiation of the conversation, I could tell that Sherry was shocked, completely startled and taken off guard. You know, the “deer-in-the-headlights” look. Perhaps she thought I was asking her name in order to report her to her boss. But as the conversation went on, her anxiety turned to cautious relaxation; her face softened, and her stunned expression changed from uneasiness and disbelief to warm delight. I’m guessing that hotel guests rarely speak to her, let alone ask her about her day or the details of her work. Sherry is one of the unseen people, and to be “seen” was obviously a rare occurrence.
As you go about your day, notice the unseen people. Speak to them; give them a smile; acknowledge their existence. Trust me. They’re everywhere, perhaps as close as next door. See them, recognize them, connect with them. You’ll make their day – and yours.
©2019
