As I walk into the entrance of Galle-Johnson, only the night lights are on in the hallways. The south corridor stretches down to the steps leading to the lower level. Even in this low light, the floors gleam, showing long reflections of the stairway lights. Spotless display cases line one side of the hall; metal and glass mark office entrances along the left. Even the bathrooms shine and sparkle.

This is Cowley pride.

So far as I can tell, the same standard holds true in the other buildings of the campus. Floors, walls, doors, fixtures—all speak to an attention of detail and duty that clearly proclaims the custodial staff here take pride in their work. This is not “once in a while, big event coming up” kind of care; this is simply how they conduct their affairs here at this small college so far south in Kansas you could walk from here to Oklahoma in an hour. It would be a fast-paced walk, I’ll admit.

Another thing I’ll admit is that the dedication of our custodial staff goes beyond floors and windows. At the start of the fall semester, they deliberately place themselves about campus so that they can help new students find their classrooms. Intentionally friendly and helpful.

What a fine example for the rest of us! What a fine example for me.

Suppose I showed that same level of caring and competence in everything that I did? What if I make sure that my decisions sparkle and shine? What if I give careful attention to the details of my work? What if I go out of my way to be helpful to staff and students, teachers and supervisors?

Taking that another step, what if I pay that sort of attention to my soul and spirit? What if I, each day of my life, check carefully to see that no grudge is collecting in a corner of my heart? What if I am careful to weed out every seed of bitterness? What if I pursue peace, forgiveness, mercy and compassion with that degree of dedication?

And above that, what if I did all of those things without any concern about whether or not anyone else ever noticed?

H. Arnett
10/19/15