My second home is where I spend at least 10 hours of my day five days a week. The two-story curve shaped structure sits facing a beautiful huge water fountain and the train station on one side, and a number of interesting shops and eateries on the other. It is in this home that I have spent many hours doing creative work and income-generating responsibilities for the company I work for. It is the special place that has given me so much confidence in what I can achieve for myself and others. Although I don’t sleep there, I spend most of my waking hours in a corner of that building, a great deal more time during the work week than I’ve spent in my own home where I lay me down to rest.
People can’t blame me for having developed a fond attachment to my home-away-from-home. While others can’t wait to leave their workplaces at the end of the day, I can’t arrive soon enough to my beloved work area. The moment my office-bound bus enters the gate where I get off, I can already see my building behind the circular fountain. On clear days, there’s a bright sky on top of the roof. The picture is totally uplifting and the beautiful sight is reason enough to make me want to greet my work day with enthusiasm and anticipation.
My morning walk takes me through an interesting circular pathway. If I walk on one side, I go past the City library, pieces of sculptures, and lovely landscaping. Taking the walk on the other side brings me close to unique shops including a small coffee place where a former U.S. President came to visit. That's also where I can pick up the biggest muffin I’ve ever had in my entire life. The walk is only about five minutes, but it’s long enough to pump me up for a busy day at work. During the school year, the kids are outside the library chatting or smoking a cigarette. Many times, they’re arguing loudly over some trivial matter or picking a fight to vent excess energy until their school bus comes to take them to school.
In spring and summer, the view is breathtakingly beautiful when all the flowers are out to tantalize. Fall looks awesome too because of the yellow-orange-brown-red foliage of the season. Winter may look drab and dreary, but when snowflakes fall there’s bound to be an excitement in the air.
There’s one person I always see during my bus-stop-to-office routine: the gardening crew. Typically, it’s a one-man operation unless there’s a bigger chore to accomplish. The guy’s always wearing his shorts during the warm months and flannel outfit during the cold season. Last autumn, although the day’s weather demanded bundling up, he wore his shorts and I had a reason to tease him about it. On a few Friday mornings, his stock greeting to me had been “Aren’t you glad it’s Friday?” I have to say this about him. He loves his job and is a master of his art. Our landscaping always looks well cared for, thanks to him! When he’s not busy walking around pruning plants and picking up wayward trash, he’s driving his golf cart-lookalike vehicle around the premises to make sure he hasn’t missed anything.
I’m not sure that many folks who come to work in the same neighborhood notice the behind-the-scene maintenance effort it takes to make our environment looking the way it is. If they realize how much dedication and hard work come together, I’m sure they’ll appreciate the blessing of being a part of it all.
It is a small wonderful world that I have the good fortune to call my second home, and I’m grateful! God has obviously waved His magic wand there and, lucky me, I'm enjoying such a precious gift every day of the work week.
