What’s the big thing I have learned and got a lot of return (not only money but also the inspiration) in this summer vacation is cleaning job. Whats’? I think most of people will laugh at me and don’t believe what I would say. I have been starting clean job in Goetheanum since last August. Last year, I figured out that I need to get some money to supply myself for living and studying after I have been spending my allowance for one year. Most of students here are choosing to do cleaning job either in Goetheanum or private families. I got the available position after I have waited for half year. I would start to do my job from 6 to 8 o’clock every morning from Monday to Saturday. Meanwhile, I am also helping an old lady for some housework some evening in the week. Sometimes, Be honest, I need to convince myself that this is just a job to get the money not bad at all. Goetheanum is very special place for people pursuing anthroposophy which is quiet similar a temple of Buddisum or Taoisum. Some people in Taiwan go to Temples to do clean jobs without any wage because that they want to devote to their gods and eliminate their bad karma. So, I’m doing the same things but get money for living. I told myself to accept it and do it with positive thoughts. I am trying but not always successful. For earning more money, I have asked my boss to give me extra jobs in this summer vacation since there is thorough cleaning in whole Goetheanum area. During past two weeks, I have been working averagely 6 hours per day. It made me tired but more alive.
At that time, I have met a group of people helping for this thorough cleaning without paying except lodging. They were coming from different places like Germany, Czech Republic, England and Holland. Those six people even have done this job before. They all thought that this is a meaningful job for themselves and Goetheanum. I was very surprised. They also told me that they have been given Eurythmie exercises and talks with my boss every morning. My boss talked them about how to do cleaning job advanced and meaningfully. What a special program!! One of woman from England has been joining this kind of activities for over 10 years. I was totally admiring her. This week, my boss Linda Thomas also arranged a talk with current working students who are also interesting in her speech. Let me share with you since I got a lot of inspiration from her.
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First, she briefly talked about how she started doing ecological cleaning job. She was from South African and married to a Swiss husband and later got two kids. She wanted her children to go to Waldorf School (Steiner schule) which is private. But, her husband thought public school was enough for children’s education and didn’t want to pay the money for them going Waldorf School. She didn’t compromise. She asked her friend who has been developing some ecological cleaning stuff “what kind job can earn money and still have time to take care my children?”. Her friend suggested her to start an ecological cleaning company which was not existed at that time (1988). She immediately said “yes” without any second thought. After she has studied those natural or ecological cleaning information for three years, she started her first cleaning job in a Waldorf school. Gradually, she gathered five mothers from the school to work more cleaning jobs. One of mother from the group was taking care of all the children with same wage when the rest of mothers were working. Later in 1992, she started to approach Goetheanum where has not even started with ecological cleaning method. And she began to clean toilets in 1993. Until now, she has been taking good care of every place, every corner in Goetheanum area. Years ago, she started to give “ Cleaning conference” in Goetheanum or some place in the world. She becomes professional in caring the spaces and environment..
I got very important impression when she mentioned how to transform our thoughts to be positive and devoted. She have been asking herself three questions in the beginning of her cleaning job.
* How can I last for 19 years doing cleaning job for my childeren completing studing in Waldorf school?
* Could I handle a room which affects the people sleeping there, working there or studying there?
* Can I go into a room, then change it?
Once she came out an old thought was that “if you could not do what you love, you could learn how to love what you do”. But it sounded very strange to love cleaning, didn't it. She shared two stories to us.
One was that given some encourage to her :
A monk with little bit slow who was in charge to do something of monastery which other monks didn’t like to do. He has something particular; whatever he did something and he said some prays when he was doing those things. When he washed dishes, he would say that “I washed dishes late, you got to send me an angel to wash my heart to make me pure”. When he cleaned floor, he asked the angel accompany and the people walked on the floor could be touched by the present angel. He said different prays. Over years, the people were always smiling to him. One Morning, he woke up and he was enlightening. People from hundreds miles came to see him.
Another thing coming back to her was that:
She remembered that her mother taught her and her sisters how to make a bed nice for her grandmother who was very sad since her husband died. At that time, she was only five years old and just followed her mother instruction to do that. She was totally devotion and loved to do that and wanted to do it right.
So, she was practicing with these two stories over and over when she was working. One day, she was standing on her knees to clean the toilet. The feeling she making her grandmother’s bed just came. She knew that she love doing the job. She found the meaning of her job.
She also mentioned how to make differences in job. There is difference between cleaning and caring. When we only doing the job with cleaning attitude. The result is good but not last longer. When we doing the job with devotion and develop the sense of duty towards the work we do. That will make the result different. And the people in that environment will feel that afterward.
She emphasized the attitude of transformation is really important. We can transform fighting to duty, transform chaotic into order. Actually, we can learn different things from the job, especially cleaning give us most thorough experience in the sense. Then, we can practice different exercises to train our senses while we are doing the cleaning job. It’s just like meditation.
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That’s quiet amazing. I felt that my heart and brain were going through a cleaning process by the angel. I found myself with different feeling to attain the job next day.
I start to say my Buddisum Mantra while I am doing the cleaning.
I tell myself less to criticize the people who make the table dirty, drop the crumb on the floor…etc.
Hope I will take good care the place I clean and let the people feel comfortable in that space.
I also encourage you to look over your daily job.
Do you like? Can you transform your attitude toward the job you are doing? Can you find the meaning of doing your job?
Hope I will have chance to share some thoughts about the environment, spaces we are staying. .
Wish you have nice and meaningful working day.
