Night Shift Reflections

Stillness. I have always felt this was my sixth sense. The world is a loud open space. Spaces filled with people talking and eating, driving and honking. Spaces filled with dogs barking, fans cheering and radios blasting. The everyday life of a normal person is cluttered with constant noise starting with the wake-up alarm and then onto the daily news. News on the television, news on the phone and news on the car radio on the way to work. While the majority of the world may crave a fast, noisy chaotic life, I embrace and seek out everyday stillness.

               I started working five years ago for the local elementary school during the night shift. This is the perfect place for me. Since I graduated from high school I have worked a variety of day jobs and have hated every single one.  The non-stop sound of ringing phones all day can drive a person so crazy that even when work is over you can still hear the ringing in your ears. As can making food as fast as you can to deliver it to someone a few feet away as fast as you can. The retail shop I worked in was always having big sale events and the manic shopping of customers was scary at times. As I reflect back on my early work experience of customer service, fast food, and retail I can see the common denominator in my hatred was indeed the constant chaos.

               During the school day the building is filled with bright light and alive with the colorful sounds of excited children. The lunch room smells of warmed up food like corn dogs or spaghetti with garlic bread. The teachers want the children to focus on eating their food but the children are mostly interested in chatting with their friends. Teachers march children up and down the halls in a single file line leading them to their next activity. I have popped in a few times during school hours and watched the process of educating young students in action. It is a complicated and choreographed day. My compliments to all the people involved in starting and completing an entire school day with your mental capacity still intact.

               Walking into my job each night is one of the best times of the day for me. Each night as I start my shift I let the night and the quiet sink into me. My mind becomes calm and my body relaxes as I begin my daily duties for the night. The lights are dimmed in the hallways and shiny specks of light are reflected on the glossy floors. I push my mop quietly across the floor to lift away all the evidence of a messy day of children running through the halls while dropping food or paper. I like to think of myself as the “Night Fairy”. I fly into rooms to sweep, dust and sanitize. A fairy that arrives each night to return the school to order so the children can come to learn the next morning in a clean and safe environment. I never was much of an artist but I like to think of this as my daily work of art.

               Have you ever been in a large building at night when you are the only person there? It is spooky. This has always fascinated me as to how a building can feel one way during the day and completely different under the blanket of night. The lights are low and there are shadows that form and reach out to you as if beckoning you to join them in their quiet slumber. Sounds that could not be heard during a busy school day now echo in the empty halls and classroom.   A flickering light and a pop from the mechanics room and the school has transformed into a haunted structure.  Then your imagination kicks in. You begin hearing doors closing or a child’s echoing laugh. The mind truly is a powerful organ.

               As I clean in the classrooms I pause to reflect on the children’s art work. Colorful displays of cut paper butterflies and self- portrait paintings bring life to the hard cement walls. In the quiet of the night I read the stories that hang on the classroom bulletin boards.  Each week teachers display new stories from their students so I always have new things to read. I’ve caught myself laughing out loud a couple of times at how funny young children can be. Children are naturally funny because they just say whatever comes to their young minds. The filter of social consciousness has not fully developed. Reading their truthful stories brings joy into my heart and with that a smile is born.

               There is one other on the night shift. We each have our assigned duties and when we pass each other in the night we always nod. This being the universal sign for “I see you but prefer to not talk with you” is honored by both of us. I suppose we have both found our quiet working place in this world. It is comforting to have one other person under this roof with me. Another person that shares in the underused sense of stillness.

               It is a Wednesday night and I have packed my usual Wednesday night dinner of a tuna fish sandwich. As I am a person that likes order and consistency I prefer to stick to my planned weekly menu. On Monday and Tuesday I pack a turkey and Colby cheese sandwich on white bread. On Wednesday and Thursday I pack a tuna fish sandwich on white bread. I save Friday for my favorite sandwich of the week, a peanut butter and jelly on white bread. I want to make it completely clear that I eat and like white bread. The health experts say it is not good for us but honestly, I just don’t care. I wash this all down with a super cold pop from the soda machine. I guess I would call this vending machine purchase my everyday splurge.

               When my shift has ended I am tired from my thoughts and my quiet work. This is how I work each week and have come to accept the nature of how I am. I am happy and fulfilled in my quiet life understanding the need for my sixth sense. The night shift is not for everyone and many would assume it is very boring. But for me it is the perfect place to be. The halls of this building welcome me each night into the comfort of their quiet, their peace and their stillness. This brings joy to my heart and a smile is born.