A couple of weeks ago I decided to take care of something that’s been on my to-do list for some time: get my windows cleaned. I live in the city, so my windows can get dirty pretty quickly—and this particular task had been pending for way too long. So on a random day off, I decided to search online for Boston-area window cleaners. I came across one person who seemed to have very good reviews online (if you need your windows cleaned in eastern Massachusetts, you can click here for his website, because I’m going to now tell you why this professional’s attitude and service completely blew me away).

Shortly after making contact via a web form, I received an email, asking me what I needed and seeking clarification about the type of windows. We went back and forth a couple of times and it was clear he knew everything about all window types and when they were built. I got a very reasonable quote and then scheduled a time for the following week. When the day came, he arrived on the dot at 7am, and his uniform consisted of an immaculate white shirt and bow tie! He proceeded to inspect all my windows, told me honestly that some of the dirt build up was also related to the worn out metallic window screens, which could be replaced down the line, and fluid run-off from the surrounding brickwork. As he got to work, and I sat working in the living room on my computer, he kept me posted on any unremovable stains. He asked if I was from England, and went on to tell me about how the UK actually led the world in innovative window cleaning techniques (something I didn’t have a clue about!). I was impressed as he went into further scientific detail about this. He finished in good time, under 2 hours as he had predicted. It was clear that he was very busy with clients and he told me he was heading straight over to a repeat customer who owned large house on the other side of Boston. I gave him a well-deserved tip for his thorough workmanship (I hope he does very well financially from his business, because he certainly deserves it).

Anyway, seeing how committed he was to his job and the pride he took in his work, reminded me of a quote from Martin Luther King:

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”

Cleaning windows may not be the most glamorous job in the world. But no matter what it is we do: Doctor, teacher, engineer—or street sweeper—we can all learn from people like my window cleaner, and aspire to have the same work ethic and pride in our work.

Suneel Dhand is a physician, writer, and YouTuber. He is Co-Founder at DocsDox. His main passions are preventive medicine, wellness and improving communication. Follow him on YouTube and Instagram.