I walked into my building after a late night of work, and the doorman who has been working nights in my building for more years than I've lived here, whom for years I barely saw, smiled as he opened the door for me. A few weeks ago, when he first saw me arriving home late, the smile was a confused one, and I explained that it was a new job with new hours I'd have to get used to. These days, the smile is a "welcome home, get yourself to sleep" one, and it is one of the best things I see after a late day.
While late night work is new to me, it is clearly not new to him. Overnight has been his shift for years, and I suppose his life is structured around it. He could easily just see my late hours as what people do. But his response, his smile as I'm walking in, reminds me that it's okay for me to be "just getting used to." And the friendly face reminds me that no matter what time you work, you can still come home to the rest of your life. Whether it's night or day.
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