We’ve all heard the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” But let’s be honest—we do it anyway. Especially when it comes to job titles.
Now when I see someone pushing a cart of supplies or vacuuming a hallway, I don’t see a uniform. I see a strategist. A confidant. A small business owner. A person who makes peace out of chaos. housekeeper - my wife's friend
When my wife, Lisa, first told me about her friend Sarah, she said, “She’s a housekeeper.” In my mind, a blurry image appeared: a mop bucket, a faded uniform, someone invisible in the corner of a hotel lobby. I nodded politely, but I didn’t really listen . We’ve all heard the phrase, “Don’t judge a
But Sarah isn’t waiting. She’s building. She put her daughter through community college. She bought a used van for her business. She takes Fridays off to hike. She is not a woman in a waiting room. She is a woman in motion. You may not have a wife’s friend named Sarah. But you have people in your life—or passing through your home, your office, your hotel—who do this work. I see a strategist
Over the last three years, getting to know Sarah has completely reshaped how I see work, worth, and the word “housekeeper.” I want to share what I’ve learned, because I suspect I’m not the only one who needed this lesson. The first time Sarah came over for dinner, she wasn’t “the help.” She was funny, sharp, and exhausted—in a good way. She owns her own small cleaning company. She has three employees, a waitlist of clients, and a binder full of color-coded schedules that would make a NASA engineer jealous.
That was my mistake.