Todd Hiestand // Missional Living in Suburban America

The Most Important Jobs You Never Think About or Appreciate

We flew on Christmas Day this year and ended up in Chicago’s O’Hare airport starving for some food. Knowing that there would be nothing open in the “real world” I stopped at a little hot dog stand in the terminal and got a nice, real genuine hot dog (mustard, cucumber, hot peppers, relish, pickles, etc).

The lady working there seemed to be in a little bit of a funky mood. Considering she was working on Christmas Day serving hot dogs, I couldn’t blame her. So, after I got my hot dog, I simply stopped and said, “Thanks for working on Christmas Day. I really do appreciate it. I would be starving without you. I haven’t had a real genuine Chicago-style hotdog for quite a long time.” With that, her eyes lit up a little. You could tell that my simple comment made her feel really valued and brightened her day.

So, with that little story in mind I bring you my: “The Most Important Jobs You Never Think About or Appreciate. “

High School Lunch Ladies.
Seriously, these women are not only the kindest people you will ever meet, but what would the kids do without those amazing extra large, extra soft cookies. I don’t think I would have made it through high school without them (the cookies and the lunch ladies).

Grocery Store Shelf Stockers.
Next time you go to the store for that bottle of ketchup, perhaps you should be thankful for the guy who put it there. I’ve heard that the overnight grocery store stockers are a breed of their own, but most of us would be really annoyed if with our grocery store visits if they didn’t do their job.

Road Kill Cleaner-Upper People.
The ultimate silent job. Do these people exist? You never seen them, but they have to be out there. Its amazing how many times I see deer dead on the side of the road on my way to the office and around town. The next day? They are gone. Where did they go? I’ve never seen them being cleaned up, but I’m guessing they didn’t get up and walk away. There’s nothing like cleaning up dead, rotting animal carcass. In my mind, this job is near the top of the list!

All Night Pharmacists.
This isn’t one you think about until you have a three year old running a high fever with diarrhea at 3:00 in the morning.

Road Construction Workers.
Sure, it looks like they stand around and do nothing and they are often the cause of traffic jams. But, if you are ever in a third world country you will realize why we should be value these people a little more. They are so vital to making it possible for our crazy commuter society to continue to exist. If they weren’t here, we’d be driving around avoiding potholes the size of cars (like the ones I saw in Kenya a while back).

Trash Collectors
Every time I see a garbage truck with men hanging off the end (even though that looks pretty fun) I want to give these guys a nod and say a quick thanks. I can’t imagine having to wake up at 4:00 am clean up other people’s trash every day (rain or shine).

Public Restroom Janitors.
Seriously, think about this one for a second. Even though I make it a goal to touch nothing in a public restroom (even the door) because they are scary, can you imagine what would happen if all public restrooms looked like the one you find in a small, podunk gas stations along the side of the interstate? I think these people need a little more respect. It’s one thing to pick up other people’s trash, but to clean up human waste for a living? Ugh.

So, next time you run into one of these people, why don’t you just say a quick “Thanks for doing your job. I can’t imagine what the world would be like if you guys weren’t here…” This is kind of a good reminder that each person in this world brings value to society. In fact, I would argue that the people in this list above bring more value and contribute more to our society than many “important” business people and athletes.

Let’s show a little respect to the “little people” eh?!