You are Appreciated

I think I've always been a people-watcher. When I used to travel to Uni on the train, I would wonder about my fellow passengers, where they were going, who they would meet, what their home-life was like, their dreams and fears. As more and more responsibilities and activities have been added to my thought-life, I guess it's one pass-time that's diminished.

But here, with these new surroundings, people-watching has resurfaced, and I'm as inquisitive and charged with emotion as ever. Each morning I notice the caretakers of the vacant land next door, feeding about 20 very vocal roosters and chickens. They appear to be living in huts made from corrugated iron and have been tasked to keep squatters from moving in.

As I go running outside our estate, 30 or so maintenance men line up outside each residential area, ready for their days work. They start arriving around 7am and I wonder how far and how long they have travelled for this job. What time will they reach home in the evening? Do they have families? Do their loved ones work every day as well?

The Ya Yas (Nannies) don't line up at the gates - they mostly seem to live with the families they help. In fact I don't think I've seen many actual residents around our estate - they tend to leave very early and return very late from work. Everybody is working very hard in this hot and sweaty heat.

I wonder if everyone knows how much their hard work is appreciated. That's one advantage of people-watching - you tend to notice what otherwise gets lost in the busyness of everyone's day. So, to the Ya Yas, the Maintenance Crew, the Cleaners, the Jeepney Drivers, and the White-Collar workers, whose days are just as long and full of stress, we say thank-you! Because you do what you do, we can do what we do, our kids can grow up and do what they'll do, and our community continues to flourish and thrive.