Showing Appreciation for Hard Work

In the building where I live, we have a guy who does most of the cleaning around the building each day. He does the vacuuming, mopping, windows, garbage etc. He also clean up the parking lot outside which is something I really appreciate as I like to live in an environment that is clean. Over the years I have gotten to know him and he is a good guy. I let him know whenever there are any issues and he always takes care of them.

The building we live in is very large so maintaining it is a full time job. I started to notice each day after work he would walk out to his car dressed in another work uniform. I realized he must have a 2^nd job that he goes to after this one. I thought to myself, that is a lot of work! He is doing a full day of hard work here and then going right to another job for who knows how long.

He has a daughter around college age so I figured he is probably working a 2^nd job to help cover college expenses. I decided I wanted to do something nice for him to show my appreciation for everything he does around the building. We have a grocery store across the street so I planned to get him a $20 gift card for the store.

Now I don't earn much money myself and I live very frugally so the idea of just spending $20 on a gift card for someone else is not something I normally do. I remember the first time I went into the store and stood in front of the gift cards, I actually didn't get it because I felt like I was not really in position to spend money like that. But the next time I went in, I decided to do it so I bought the card.

On the card, I wrote a little note about how I appreciate all his hard work and everything he does around the building. The next time I saw a good opportunity I gave him the card. It was not a holiday time or anything so he probably was not expecting something like this. When I gave it to him, he even said I didn't have to do it because he enjoys his work, but I insisted that he keep it. He said thank you and was very appreciative.

It feels good to do something nice for someone especially when it is out of the blue and unexpected. He works a job where he probably does not get a lot of recognition. A gesture like this lets him know he is doing a good job and people are thankful for the work he does.

If there is someone in your life like this that you appreciate, make sure to let them know. Even just going out of your way to say thank you can mean a lot to someone.