Things unoticed

I never talk about work.
 I am there every day (usually) and spend up to 6 hours a day helping people with disabilities. On Tuesdays we do Meals on Wheels, we deliver 10 lunches to elderly adults and 1 to a very handsome younger blind man, 11 in all. We have been delivering these items for over a year now, every Tuesday from 1030am-1130 am. Rain or shine, even on our days off, I have gone in and did the meal run with out my guys. I was noticing a few things on Tuesday as I grumbly did the MOW run, I was feeling burnt out, unappreciated, tired and grumpy. One of my dearest clients, Debi excitedly jumps out of the van to help me count the meals and load them up. She cheerfully does her duty well, always smiling and laughing with the older ladies at the senior center (they don't like me, but just love her) Debi talks about her day, and how she is going to her "second" job at Evans Hair School where she sweeps up hair and folds the towels there. Before we left for MOW she wanted me to make sure her heart was still beating, something she does occasionally because she has a serious heart problem that will eventually lead to her death. I oblige, teasing that I can't hear anything and she must be a zombie "I'm not zombie!" she yells at me as I continue to press my ear to her tiny chest and hear the soft flutter-click of her damaged heart, my arms wrapped around her in a big hug.

After we load up the van with old people food, balanced meals and little milks, we head out to the first house, the lady there is soft spoken and white haired. She is always sitting in her chair watching TV, a stereotype that manifests itself every time I walk in her door. Mark is with me, he is loud and clumsy and I love him. The lady is outside that day and lets us in, talks to me about the junk mail she always gets and how many husbands she has gone through, all of them dead now. I liked the husband who gardened best.

Next is a very old man and his very handsome blind son, it's Tuesday so I can expect him out in the yard mowing. Tuesday is lawn day, very rarely I see this man sitting and doing nothing. I flirt with his son while I'm inside dropping things off, I'm with Vicki a spunky lady with a purse fetish and little teeth.

We go to a Tongan lady next, she hardly speaks English but comments that I will get blessings from heavenly father for working with special kids. I say I hope so!! laugh and want to say mahalo but resist.

We continue on to another lady who's house is really dirty all the time and smells like cats, we always talk about art and I stay for a few extra minutes and watch Ross (the painting guy) with her.

I get yelled at by a new lady, she tells me she cannot have sugar or milk and I need to do something about it. It's really cute when old people get upset with you, there is a possibility they could hurt you, but us whipper snappers run faster.

Debi loves to do the last house, I asked her why once, she replied "cause it's lellow". I hardly ever see the woman we deliver to. But since I met her a couple of weeks ago, I creep into her room and say hi, her cat is snuggled up in the blankets and dark room, it rolls over and stretches looks at me and blinks sleepily, and passes out again, the lady pretty much does the same.

We are back at the senior center, I am explaining to the mean lunch ladies that a certain patron can't have milk or sugar, they are barking at me in return that they have nothing to do with it and I need to call so and so. I notice Debi struggling to come in the creaky door, she has a cooler, the heated bag we use for hot meals, and the basket all in her arms. She looks ridiculous, and I crack up. The ladies yell at me not to laugh at their friend, I just thought she looked cute but it didn't matter to them.

I love my job...this week.

Debi at work.