OK Solberg: 00:00

I want again welcome here to The 405 Coffee Break. Guys, Get you a cup of coffee, glass iced tea, bottle of water. Let's see what's happening.

OK Solberg: 00:07

Spring wheat $5.48 a bushel, 550lb steer calf, guys still going up $4.71 a pound. Are you kidding me? I looked 3 times just to make sure I was in the right column. It keeps going higher. A butcher hog in Iowa, 59¢ a pound, and a 100 pound lamb that's fat in Billings $2.41 a pound. But guys, there's more, much more.

OK Solberg: 00:36

January 13, it's grandpa Jack's birthday. Happy birthday to Jack Kelly. Now you realize that on The 405 we cover a vast array of topics. And did you know that we've been doing this now for over 7 years? That means there's been about 1,900 different episodes.

OK Solberg: 00:58

1,900, really? Well, maybe a repeat or two along the way. So let's be safe and say 1,850 episodes. Therefore, we have covered a lot of ground. That being said, I never run out of interesting stuff to look into or research, and I certainly am not running out of material.

OK Solberg: 01:22

But today, we're gonna look at nighttime janitors. I'll tell you with all certainty we have not covered this topic before. Now you might be laughing and thinking Orvin's really struggling out there, but that's not true. Think I'm struggling looking for topics? Believe me, I'm not in desperation.

OK Solberg: 01:45

Oh, I'll prove it to you. There's still other topics I haven't covered. The hidden loneliness of people everyone thinks is always available. I haven't done that one. I haven't covered people who keep long term promises that they made to strangers, really.

OK Solberg: 02:02

We haven't touched on that. I know for a fact that I have not done an episode on people who secretly prepare goodbye messages but never send them. So believe me there's more I just won't mention them. But today, nighttime janitors. I really do.

OK Solberg: 02:20

I think it's gonna be an interesting peek through a knothole. Here's the deal, unless you are one, we don't ever seldom even think about it. Did you realize that nighttime janitors have been known for saying, you know, I find that I'm getting more awkward. I used to be social. Now I barely interact with anyone.

OK Solberg: 02:44

Did you realize that there's a book titled, The Janitor Who Saw Everything? Now it's a reflective story describing a night janitor whose name was Marcus. He worked all alone in an office tower before dawn. But instead of being invisible, he observed the building's life. He noticed emotional moments like late night tears from an overworked analyst.

OK Solberg: 03:15

He saw a CEO practicing a resignation speech. What? Yes. He saw a CEO practicing a resignation speech in a quiet boardroom. He watched a security guard secretly studying law behind a desk, posted online somewhere out in the galaxy called the Internet, someone shared the story where a raccoon popped up next to them while they were eating on break so close that they seriously debated offering it a snack, but before deciding to retreat in laughter and dis belief and they shooo him off.

OK Solberg: 03:55

After that moment of laughter, they also decided to see which one of them had left the back door open while harb hauling garbage to the dumpster. In a humorous short story published online, a person who worked as a janitor decided to become a stand up comedian. They joked about their own job with puns like being filthy rich because they're a cleaner. They joked about forming a band called the Bleach Boys and saying they overswept when late for an interview. Did you realize that night janitors often work entire shifts without speaking to anyone?

OK Solberg: 04:39

There's no casual conversation, no feedback, and no good job today. It could be said that being a nighttime janitor means learning how to move through the world without being noticed, yet still feeling responsible for it. The work is simple on paper, but heavier in practice. Cleaning up what others leave behind. Oh, yuck.

OK Solberg: 05:04

Again, keeping things running and making quiet judgment calls when no one else is around. There's a calm that comes with empty building and with steady routines and a small satisfaction in knowing the place will be ready for morning. At the same time, the hours can wear on you, the loneliness, the lack of recognition, and the feeling of living slightly out of sync with everyone else. Oh, it's honest work, but often invisible. It asks for a lot of patience, self discipline, and a willingness to take pride in results people never stop to think about.

OK Solberg: 05:50

And with that, I'll close with a bible verse, Whatever you do. What was that? Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men. Colossians 3:23

OK Solberg: 06:03

So until next time. Hey. Pick up that scrap of paper. As you go out there, remember now, don't be bitter.