The Most Dedicated Toilet Cleaner (Part 1)

A true story that happened in Japan. The protagonist of the story is a female university student who took a vacation to work part-time at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Her assigned job at this five-star hotel was cleaning toilets. On the first day, when she reached into the toilet bowl to scrub, she almost vomited on the spot. After barely enduring for a few days, she found it unbearable and decided to quit. But at this critical moment, she discovered that an old cleaner working alongside her actually scooped a cup of water from the toilet and drank it after finishing his cleaning. The university student was dumbfounded, but the old cleaner proudly and calmly stated that the toilets he cleaned were so spotless that the water inside was drinkable! This act greatly inspired the university student, making her realize that true professionalism means that any job, regardless of its nature, has ideals, standards, and higher quality to pursue. The meaning and value of work lie not in its perceived status, but in whether the person performing the job can focus on the work itself and discover or create enjoyment and positivity within it. From then on, whenever she entered a restroom, the university student no longer saw it as a hardship but as a training ground for self-improvement. After finishing cleaning a toilet, she would always ask herself, "Could I drink a cup of water from here?" When her vacation ended and the manager was reviewing performance, the university student, in front of everyone, scooped a cup of water from the toilet she had cleaned and drank it! This action shocked everyone present, especially the manager, who considered this part-time student an indispensable talent!