This French street sweeper said he puts a rose on his cart that carries his cleaning tools. Why? He wants a dot of beauty in the coldness of the urban landscape. He said he chose to be a street sweeper because he wanted to be outside and be part of a community. He wrote a book about being a street sweeper and the rose he puts in his cart.

He is proud of his work.

No job is so low, only low people.

I know someone who looks down on such workers, going to the extent of calling them stupid. That person should have been marked a big X on my book at the get-go.

But you know, people who take pride in their work—whatever work that is—are worth more than company founders or managers who think they are so high and mighty but are crap in dealing with people.

I’m proud of what I do because I like it. It doesn’t matter if my publication is not as well-known as our more public counterparts. I make an impact, even if it’s very niche. I walked past a C-level boss in Singapore last November and he was waving at me when he saw my name tag during a conference. He recognized my name even if we just met for the first time. After all these years, I have been making myself visible to bosses on the other side of the globe. Especially when I crossed platforms so many times because I wanted to try something new and pushed the boundaries of what I can do.

I should shove this inside my head whenever I get those insecurity attacks, which I had last night. Self-doubt erodes the little wins I have gained slowly over the past two years. This is what happens when you just have yourself as your own cheerleader.

As my fairy gaymother always tells me, do not compare yourself to others who don’t matter. Or stop comparing yourself. Period.

Be proud of what you do.

I had a very restless night so I woke up early. Had a splitting headache so I attempted to go back to sleep. To release me from anxiety caused by overthinking, I had to drag myself out of bed and my desk and go back to exercising. I’ve been a lazy ass the past few days. I haven’t even fulfilled my promise of going out to walk. Well, I did go out for a short walk to buy cold medicine for Twin A.

Meanwhile, Kimchi is getting fatter like her hooman. I have been weaning her away from cat treats. I had requested my contractor to make her a plantbox outside our living area window so she can have more activities outside the house. I am also looking at cat stairs/climbing shelves that I will drill to the walls.