I can see clearly now

>> Reflections on the Zen of window washing

By CHRIS BARRY

Name: Roger Deschampes

Official job title: Window washer

Employer: Self-employed--won't "work for the Man."

Age: 40

Salary: $30,000 par annum

Years on the job: 25

What he dreamed of becoming as a child: Archeologist

Bio: This perversely handsome LaSalle resident has been washing windows ever since dropping out of grade 7 at the ripe old age of 15. Standing at approximately 5'3", Roger is a little guy who towers over the competition in the dog-eat-dog world of professional window washing. Dedicated to the max, he recently fell 40 feet from a ladder on to cement and smashed his arm into a million pieces, making a mess of his feet as well. "I had a thousand things go through my mind while I was falling--all in the space of about 10 seconds. It was amazing." Clearly unfazed, he was putting the sparkle back on downtown skyscrapers within five days after his accident--albeit with considerably more difficulty given the numerous casts he was sporting.

Reflections on window washing: "Professional window washing is very Zen-like. All day I bring clarity to the world while being forced to look at my own reflection. You work all week to keep everything clean and the next week comes along and everything is dirty again. It's a never-ending cycle."

Some interesting things he's seen while washing windows: Lots of people having sex, lots of naked people. "But you can't just sit there and stare. It's not professional. Besides, if I want to see that stuff I can just go on the Internet."

Best thing he ever saw: "While washing the windows of a house, in the living room across the street I could see an elderly lady just rockin' and rollin' to her stereo, dancing and having a hell of a time. It was inspiring."

How often he is tempted to spit, pee, or masturbate on people from 30 storeys high: Not often.

Best part of the job: "All of the time that my work allows for contemplation."

What he contemplates while suspended 160 feet above the ground with just his squeegee and a bucket for company: "God, the universe and my place in it." After 25 years of deep thought, Roger believes he has answered the eternal question as to why we are here. "We are all part of God and I am simply one more conduit through which God can get to better know himself."

Number of his co-workers who have fallen and died: Two--both off of ladders.

How much they were earning on the jobs that killed them: About $6 an hour

Last book read: The Saxon Shore, by Jack Whyte

Favourite author: Isaac Asimov

Favourite TV show: The West Wing

Philosophy: "Experience all that you can, make somebody smile once a day, try not to put your shit onto other people, and never talk about your pain."

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