WORK

Work is an essential part of my family history. My Grandma Pyne used to joke that the reason my Grandpa married her was because she was a hard worker. And while that's not the only reason they got married, I am sure Grandma's work ethic was one of the things that attracted Grandpa to her. Work was a vital part of their lives, and they worked hard. Grandpa worked at the steel mill and had a fruit farm, and Grandma cooked, cleaned, sewed, canned, quilted, and raised five kids, in addition to helping Grandpa with the garden and yard work. There were times of relaxation in their lives, but mostly they worked.

My Grandma and Grandpa Howe were also hard workers, and they taught their kids to work. My Grandpa purchased extra land just so he could plant a garden and some fruit trees for his kids to work on. When I've asked my Mom about what Grandma was like as a mother her response has always been that she was "busy." With nine kids she had to be busy, and she had to work hard. I doubt that she had the leisure time I enjoy.

What prompted this train of thought was today I had to weed our yard, for me a daunting task. I spent pretty much all day outside in the heat picking weeds. When I tried to get my kids to come and help me all I got was whining and temper tantrums, which I sadly could sympathize with because their external communication was similar to my own internal dialogue. Then I got to thinking about my Grandparents and how for them hard, physical labor wasn't a once-a-month chore but a daily reality. And the crazy thing was they seemed to enjoy it! My Grandpa Pyne loved to be on his tractor out in the orchards, and my Grandpa Howe is still happiest when he is working in his garden. Where was I going wrong? I finally realized that their joy came in the fruit of their labor. Because of my hard work my yard is now (nearly) weed free! I have the satisfaction of a day well spent and can go to bed with a weary body and a clear conscious (at least with respect to how I used my time today). Now I need to figure out how to instil in my children this lesson.

And as an adendum to my last blog I found a poem that sums up my lesson of the day:

I slept and dreamt
That life was joy
I woke and saw
That life was duty
I acted, And behold!
Duty was joy!
--Tagore