Trundling my trolley

Since last november I have had a wee job as a Relief Steward at the local community centre. (I am also a Caretaker at the local Primary School one night a week). I took it on as a wee job to supplement my income as a student. Over the summer I have picked up a few evenings work and today I was working for the afternoon. One of the jobs I had to do was take the trolley of recycling out to the recycling bins.

As I was trundling my trolley I was thinking to myself how far removed this was to what I will be doing in a months time when I start probation. But is it really? I also reflected on how good it was for me to have taken this work on. I didnt really need the money if truth be told, although it was certainly helpful. But in the course of my work I have come in contact with lots of people - from toddlers attending the playgroup to OAPs coming in to do indoor bowling. I have cleaned toilets, mopped floors, cleaned hot drinks machines, stocked the vending machine (& unblocked said machine), painted outdoor furniture, served chips and cheese and a multitude of other tasks. Some of the work was routine, some of it quite unexpected.

So really it isn't that far removed from what I face in probation. I WILL come in contact with lots of people and I WILL do a multitude of tasks - some routine some quite unexpected.

And one other similarity will be the interest people have in what you are doing. I have had loads of conversations at work about the whole call to ministry thing. People have been genuinely interested in how I have been getting on, congratulating me on my graduation (helped by a HUGE photo in the local edition of the P&J!!!) and wishing me well for the next stage of my journey.

I think too, people have been quite surprised to seeing me on my knees mopping floors or fixing things - their puzzled looks say so much.

So I guess trundling my trolley will just take a different shape in the future. I like my trolley.