At the shelter, Janet was one of three customer service reps. These three women tirelessly answered phones and assisted walk-in citizens with pet-related concerns. These concerns ranged from finding, capturing, and bringing in stray dogs and cats to tagging adopted shelter animals to listening to complaints from angry ticketed pet owners. The shelter's "front line," they receive the lion's share of citizen contact.
Janet was the newest and friendliest of the three. A consummate professional, Janet answered questions, assisted citizens in filling out pet adoption papers, and was a definite people person. Always with a smile, a good attitude, and a kind word, she was the one people waited to speak with. If she didn't know the answer, she would spend the extra time to find out.
As I often passed through the lobby from Kathi's desk back to my desk at the Adoption Center, I came to recognize her voice, hear the compassion in her answers, and respect the "good vibes" she gave off. As I've mentioned in previous postings, I'm generally the sort of person to observe first before uttering a word. My cautious nature went out the window last year, however, and I found myself taking time out between trips chatting up Janet when she was free.
Janet was a happy person. That is not to say that she wasn't dealing with her own problems; she was. The shelter paid beans compared to what she had made in her previous career - but she enjoyed the animals, the atmosphere, and the customers. Her extraordinary spirit, good nature, and positive outlook was a ray of sunshine. In short, she made you feel comfortable; I found myself sharing my sob story with her, something I hadn't shared with anyone other than Kathi. And funny! Janet was a hoot - always with a funny anecdote or a sly grin, she made you feel as if she was your own personal comedianne! I kept telling her she ought to do stand-up - to which she responded that the pay wasn't as good as what the shelter paid us. ((wink wink))
I rarely left the shelter for lunch due to lack of funds, preferring instead to eat leftovers at my desk. However, Janet went out of her way to extend invitations to come back to her home with her for lunch. She lived close by the shelter and ate with her three doggies every day. So I brought my leftovers to Janet's home and we "talked shop" about the shelter and some of the personalities we dealt with on a daily basis.
In fact, it was during one of those lunches that she mentioned CONNECT, a sort-of job placement meeting where unemployed people met, discussed placement strategies, compared notes, improved their resumes, and networked with others. At Janet's prodding, I went to the next meeting; networked; had my picture taken; and subsequently interviewed at my current place of employ. (Of course, Kathi had a hand in that decision, too, as I've previously mentioned, but it was Kathi *and* Janet that got me through those dark months last year.)
Janet, if you're reading this, I hope you know this; you have touched my heart and I love you, girl!
As I often passed through the lobby from Kathi's desk back to my desk at the Adoption Center, I came to recognize her voice, hear the compassion in her answers, and respect the "good vibes" she gave off. As I've mentioned in previous postings, I'm generally the sort of person to observe first before uttering a word. My cautious nature went out the window last year, however, and I found myself taking time out between trips chatting up Janet when she was free.
Janet was a happy person. That is not to say that she wasn't dealing with her own problems; she was. The shelter paid beans compared to what she had made in her previous career - but she enjoyed the animals, the atmosphere, and the customers. Her extraordinary spirit, good nature, and positive outlook was a ray of sunshine. In short, she made you feel comfortable; I found myself sharing my sob story with her, something I hadn't shared with anyone other than Kathi. And funny! Janet was a hoot - always with a funny anecdote or a sly grin, she made you feel as if she was your own personal comedianne! I kept telling her she ought to do stand-up - to which she responded that the pay wasn't as good as what the shelter paid us. ((wink wink))
I rarely left the shelter for lunch due to lack of funds, preferring instead to eat leftovers at my desk. However, Janet went out of her way to extend invitations to come back to her home with her for lunch. She lived close by the shelter and ate with her three doggies every day. So I brought my leftovers to Janet's home and we "talked shop" about the shelter and some of the personalities we dealt with on a daily basis.
In fact, it was during one of those lunches that she mentioned CONNECT, a sort-of job placement meeting where unemployed people met, discussed placement strategies, compared notes, improved their resumes, and networked with others. At Janet's prodding, I went to the next meeting; networked; had my picture taken; and subsequently interviewed at my current place of employ. (Of course, Kathi had a hand in that decision, too, as I've previously mentioned, but it was Kathi *and* Janet that got me through those dark months last year.)
Janet, if you're reading this, I hope you know this; you have touched my heart and I love you, girl!
Super sweet and a reminder that we all of those rays of sunshine. : )
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