“All exceptional people are, by definition, exceptions to the norm. If we insist on being ordinary, we can never be truly extraordinary.” — William Ritter

Yesterday was the last day of work for our exceptional concierge in our apartment building. Her name is Carmen and she retired after many faithful and hardworking years here in our building. We had a heartfelt cry together yesterday as she finished her last shift. I will miss her immensely.

Carmen is one of those exceptional people. She was never late to work, nor did she leave early. She took her job seriously and got her work done (imagine 12 floors of apartments all receiving their Amazon packages from Thanksgiving to Christmas)! She went above and beyond in everything she did! She was tough when she needed to be and as kind as a human could possibly be otherwise. And when my sweet dog, Sophie, passed in February, it was her who said and did everything in her power to help heal my broken heart. She cried with me and gave me her words of wisdom having been in my shoes.

“One rare and exceptional deed is worth far more than a thousand commonplace ones.” — Saint Ignatius

Carmen was extraordinary and I will miss her every day that I walk past the concierge desk and she’s not there. She deserves retirement and I could not be happier for her! I hope she’s sitting on a beach everyday surrounded by her family, enjoying life—she deserves it. Let her example remind us to be exceptional at home and at work. Go the extra mile. Exceed expectations because expectations are the floor! Let’s reach for the ceiling. Look around you. What can you do today to be exceptional for yourself and for someone else? That’s what Carmen did every single day!

“Be exceptional. Make tremendous efforts to be extraordinary. What a privilege to be here on the planet to contribute your unique donation to humankind. Just make sure you do so.” — Shelby Lynne

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!
Beth