An Incredible Work Ethic Part II = A Tribute to the Late James Albert Singletary, Sr.

An Incredible Work Ethic Part II – A Tribute to the Late James Albert Singletary, Sr.

I received a “second wind” when I thought of my late uncle, James Albert Singletary, Sr.  “Uncle Joe” was one of the hardest working men I have ever known.  Over the course of eight years of summers, I had the privilege of watching his inimitable and incredible example of hard work and discipline.  He believed that any job worth doing is worth doing well.  If you cannot or will not perform a job to the very best of your ability, then you should leave that job and get another one.  Choose a job that motivates you to do your very best!  Many years later, I more greatly appreciate his wisdom and integrity.  He practiced his principles and philosophy relating to his work ethic.  He worked the graveyard shift cleaning the dining rooms, toilets and kitchens of a very popular fast food chain.  While everyone else slept, he mopped the floors, wiped the counters, scraped the toilets and urinals, and discarded trash that included rotten and spoiling food.  One of the messiest tasks was cleaning the broiler which required a bucket of nearly scalding water, soap and ammonia.  Without gloves, he ascended a ladder each night and wiped away the hardened grease and grime that formed from cooking a day’s worth of hamburgers.  You can imagine the effects on his lungs of breathing in ammonia and carbon deposits while cleaning the broiler.  In the eight years, I never once heard him complain about his job.  In fact, he left a managerial position in which he wore a shirt and tie to take this cleaning position.  On the last day that he wore a tie to work, he took it off and hung it around the rearview mirror in celebration of the fact that he no longer had a “managerial noose” around his neck.  Remarkably, he took just as much pride in the cleaning job as he took in his efforts to excel as a manager.  If he found mop strings or untouched spots on the floor, he went over them.  He took an artist’s approach to the restaurants that he cleaned.  If they did not shine to the point that an untrained eye could easily detect his meticulous care and detail, he was not satisfied.  He left these places sparking each and every morning just after sunrise.  He worked until the job was done exceedingly well.  His professionalism rivaled the persistence and achievements of anyone in the learned guilds.

In recalling those most admirable attributes about “Uncle Joe,” I am grateful for his incredible example of work ethic.  I vividly heard his sayings and I saw him swirling that mop back and forth watching with his peripheral view to ensure that he did not miss a spot.  Those recollections encouraged and empowered me to leave our previous house as spotless as I could.  Interestingly, I was cleaning the toilets and preparing to mop the kitchen and bathroom floors when this flood of memories cascaded across my mind.  Mystically, I reached back and found strength from his example.  I said aloud, “Thank you dear Uncle Joe for teaching me how to work hard.  Thank you for showing me that you work until the job is done.  Thank you for telling me to take pride in what I do by doing my very best even if no one else notices.  I thank you Uncle Joe.”  Consequently, a new burst and thrust of energy came over me. The will to finish the cleaning came.  I began to clean as if I were moving in rather than moving out.  As I worked, I shared my thoughts of my uncle with my son who listened partially as he watched television on my Blackberry.  Telling the stories of many years of working during the third and fourth watches of the night and having my uncle’s undivided attention, as I learned about work, manhood, responsibility and faithfulness, made me forever thankful for the gift of his remarkable life.

In contrast to my uncle’s job, I have worn consistently a blazer, shirt and tie to work during my twenty-one years of professional experience.  I have had three main jobs that have overlapped in time and sequence: educational administration, teaching and pastoral ministry.  Each position came with office space, central heating and air, business cards, name tags, and the usual accoutrements of professional positions.  Yet, I strive to match “Uncle Joe’s” discipline, inner fortitude, self-determination and formidable example.  I seek superlative accomplishments as he did.  He is my yardstick whereby I measure my efforts and results.  Admittedly, I have learned how to “work smart and not hard” but I do not allow that approach to become an excuse for muddling in the midst of mediocrity.  Should I forget that a professional is not superior to any other hardworking, honest and responsible worker; my mental eye conjures the silhouette of my uncle and that mop.  That indelible image enduringly reminds me who the authentic professionals in life are.