‘More blessings than things to complain of’

EDITOR – A MIDDLED-AGED lady was struggling with her week’s grocery purchases after shopping at the well-known store at the top of Ashley Avenue, Glenashley. She was tired. She knew she could not afford what she had bought. She was worried about her family. In fact, she had more troubles than your average customer. And then she met the car-guard, who helped her with her trolley, her parcels, and her car. He also helped her in other ways. In those few minutes, surprisingly, her whole outlook on life seemed to change, and as she left she said these heartfelt words to the car guard: ‘You have made my day!…’

I chatted to this unusual car-guard. His name is Jan Koch. I have known him for some years now, and I call him, half-jokingly ‘the best car-guard in Durban’. What is Jan’s secret, that he can make tired housewives feel that he has ‘made their day’? Some things I didn’t need to ask Jan about. I knew that he not only grabbed the heavy packets out of my trolley as if they were weightless, and carried them to my car, putting them carefully in after making sure to ask: ‘Any eggs?’. I knew that he would also ‘go the extra mile’ by making sure that I reversed safely out of my parking place, halting other customers’ cars until I was fully out of harm’s way. I also knew that he would always be cheerful, with an infectious smile, a joke or two, and some piece of homespun philosophy that was worth listening to, and made me want to answer in the same vein. I asked Jan about his life and what made him tick. He told me that he had been working in his present place for seven years now.

No, he wouldn’t say that the job was a good one. In fact, he admitted that the job was ‘a bit tough at times’. Some people paid him, others did not. And the rate of payment did not seem to be keeping up with the rising cost of living. He would not tell me what the average tip was. He is discreet, and some things are best not said. Jan hails from Memel in the Free State. He was originally Afrikaans-speaking, but now is equally conversant with English. Though by rights he should be an out-and-out Cheetahs supporter, he told me that he is a now also a Sharks man.

I asked Jan what his philosophy of life was. In other words, what made him a better car-guard. What message did he have for other car-guards? He replied that you have to be honest. If customers leave money in their trolley by mistake, you don’t pocket it, you hand it in at the store or keep it until the next time you see them – by doing this you build up a level of trust which is better than diamonds. You help them to reverse out of their parking place because cars are valuable possessions and you must prevent damage to them which might be very costly to repair. I quizzed Jan on how he always managed to be cheerful, even when the weather was awful. He answered in these impressive words: ‘I have more blessings than I have things to complain of.’ And when he wasn’t feeling too well, or customers had not paid him enough, I asked, how did he still maintain his cheerful appearance? He said: ‘Oh, I have learnt to wear what I call my mask – my happy mask. If I can help people by wearing it, then it makes my day, too. ‘When you meet Jan and see him doing his job on the parking roof of his store, do me a favour: give him an answering smile and – dare I say it? – a reasonable tip… Because I promise you that you will leave feeling just that bit happier about your day. And this will be better than gold.

Patrick Coyne

Glenashley