Four years. That's how long I've worked in the Sanitation/Sweeps department at an amusement park. That is long enough to develop some habits and some pet peeves that guests of the park might not know exist!

1. Defining a good day at work.

A good day is when there is just enough trash on the ground to keep me sane and not bored, but not so much trash on the ground that I'm overwhelmed by it.

2. Defining the boring day.

A boring day is when there is hardly anyone in the park and hardly any trash on the ground, and so I feel like there is no point in even being there.

3. Defining a bad day at work.

A bad day is when there is so much trash on the ground that I feel as though the task cannot be completed. Ever.

4. Defining a truly disgusting day at work.

A disgusting day is...you guessed it...really really disgusting. This is the day where it feels like I am sweeping up nothing but guest cleanups (throw up) and every other bodily fluid you can imagine. There's a water park. Imagine what could happen there. Crap. Crap everywhere. I don't just mean trash, I mean LITERAL. CRAP. Don't think about it too long. I don't want you to throw up, too!

5. Don't ask me where a ride is and then expect me to know right that second.

This is a pet peeve of mine. Guests sometimes ask us where rides are expecting us to just pause our work and know precisely where they want to go right that second. NO! We don't. We actually have to stop and think about where we are, where that ride is in relation to where we are, and then mentally go along the paths to make sure that we just sent you in the right direction. Be patient with us. If you're not, we might just send you in the opposite direction just to spite you.

6. Where is the.....?

When guests use the wrong name for a ride, this is super annoying. Sometimes I can figure out what they mean, but sometimes it's really hard. If you don't know the name of the coaster you're looking for, that's okay. Just look up at the sky, and pick the color of coaster you're looking for, and then I'm set to give you directions.

7. Where is the (insert name of an area of the park) ride?

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but that's not a ride...that's an area. Chances are, you're already in the area. Are you enjoying the ride?" Well, this is what I would love to say to guests, but I don't, because I don't know how to answer this without making them feel stupid! And I"m not allowed to make the guests feel stupid.

8. If I have to hear ONE MORE Taylor Swift song...

I'm sorry to you people who love T. Swift, but I am not one of you. After four years of working at an amusement park that plays music through the speakers, you hear a LOT of Taylor Swift over and over and over again, and it gets really annoying after a while. So...if I have to hear anymore of her songs, it is not going to end well.

9. Guests who apologize for making a mess.

This is another pet peeve. Don't apologize for accidentally dropping something like your whole bag of popcorn. I'm more sorry that all that money went to the ground. I'm getting paid to do this, so, there is no need to apologize. Instead of apologizing, give me a genuine thank you for my service, and that is enough.

10. But at the same time, pick up after yourself.

If you just made a huge mess on a table or around your table, and you know you made this mess, please, don't be a slob. Clean up after yourselves. Teach your children to clean up after themselves. It's just common courtesy and makes us feel less overwhelmed in the food court (which is always overwhelming).

11. And also, do not intentionally throw food on the ground in front of a sweep. EVER.

This goes more to obnoxious teenage boys who think they're super cool. If you are intentionally throwing popcorn at each other or just throwing trash on the ground in front of a sweep because you think that's funny. It really isn't funny. Let me tell you, it is really really annoying. If I catch you doing this, I will hand my pan and broom to you and make you clean it up yourself, because that is obnoxious and disrespectful to my job and all others that perform this job.

12. Do not tell me that I missed a spot.

This action is telling me how to do my job. I know how to sweep popcorn off of the ground. Sure, we have different protocols for different types of spills, but it’s not that hard to sweep popcorn. I have a method and a way in which I sweep things. I probably saw the piece of trash that you are pointing out and am getting to it when I can. I don’t need guests or other employees to tell me how to do my job when I’ve been working at it for four years. Honestly, it is rather annoying and demeaning.

13. A kind word can go a long way.

In this department, we often don’t get openly recognized for our work. We sweep the park and keep it clean and safe for the guests so that they can enjoy themselves, and sometimes it seems as though we are simply invisible employees that get no thanks. This isn’t always the case, though. Some of the best days are days in which guests acknowledge our work. A genuine thank you or someone saying that the park Is really clean and that we are doing a good job makes me feel all warm inside and reminds me of why I’m doing this job in the first place.

14. Babies are conversation starters.

If I see anyone with an adorable little child, I will come up to them and start chatting with the baby, asking if they’re having a good day at the park. This not only makes me feel all warm and fuzzy (because babies are the cutest), but it shows that I, as an employee, am taking an interest in the guests, even if I’ve been annoyed by the crowds all day.

15. Please don’t use our names when addressing us.

I know we have name tags for this purpose, and I know that people always assume that workers like it when guests use their names. However, this is not true. It is a myth that using the employee’s name creates some sort of good feelings. Using my name makes me feel rather uncomfortable. I forget that I’m wearing a name tag and wonder how you even know my name. It’s creepy, and it’s not fair. You know my name, but I don’t know yours. So, how can I fairly address you in the same way to create mutually good feelings?

16. For the love of all that is clean and orderly, please be observant!

If I’m sweeping a spill, it doesn’t take too much time to glance down and make sure you don’t walk through it. You don’t know what you’re walking through, most of the time. It could be popcorn, it could be throw up. For the sake of your shoes, don’t walk through my spills while I’m trying to sweep them. Also, watch where you’re walking. My pan and broom are not to be tripped over, and I didn’t stop suddenly just so you could walk into me. I probably stopped because I saw trash and needed to sweep it or change direction to get to it. Thank you for your kindness. It really isn’t fun to trip over someone’s pan and broom. You don’t know where it’s been. But I do.

17. Guys, don’t hit on us girls.

You might think you’re being cool and funny, but we just think you’re being obnoxious and annoying. You think I’m pretty? Thank you. The compliment is duly noted. I think this uniform looks hideous and baggy, and how could you even tell I was a girl? But seriously, show me some respect and don’t just hit on me. If you sincerely want to give me a compliment, then say it rather than being annoying about it and making me want to smack you with the straw side of my broom.

18. I sometimes forget that the guests are human beings.

I walk through crowds every day in this job. I see a crowd of faces and often forget that these people are each individual human beings. But, then again, I’m not the only one. I am sure it goes both ways. The guests see the employees and forget that they have lives outside of working at the park. Perhaps this isn’t true of all the guests, but considering the fact that I can forget the humanity of the guests, I wouldn’t put it past them.

19. This job is not hard.

It really is not that difficult to grasp the concept of walking around a theme park and sweeping up trash. It’s not rocket science.

20. This job can be extremely difficult.

When we don’t get recognized for our work, it can be hard. When we feel invisible, even though we are doing good jobs, it can be hard. When we have to walk around all day in the hot summer sun, it gets hard. When we have so many spills that it gets overwhelming in a day, it gets hard. When we feel underappreciated for the work that we do for the guests, it gets hard.

But regardless of the hardness of the job, I do enjoy it on the good days. It can be a good job, and it is definitely an honorable one. Though I don’t want to remain in this job for the rest of my life, though it is draining and exhausting in the summer time, it is a job that pays money, that gives me solid interaction with coworkers and guests, and that teaches me skills that are important – such as keeping a place clean and orderly. So next time you’re at a theme park and you see the sanitation crew or the sweeps going by, make sure you give them a thank you and a compliment to their work, because more often than not it is well-deserved. And you never know what kind of day they are having when you walk by them. It could be a good day, a bad day, an ugly day, or a downright disgusting day. So give them the kindness that they deserve, because they aren’t just doing this job for themselves. They are doing this job so that you can enjoy your day at the amusement park of your choice.