I spent lots of time pressure washing, I'm fairly certain that I have sand in my eyes still. But the areas I was asked to do turned out quite nice and clean. Me on the other hand, I have never showered so much in my life, I felt a crazy need to seriously scrub myself after playing in all that mold and algae. They won't need me next week, which is a good thing, as I am quite behind on my list of to do's.
I'd planned to jump right in this morning and just burn through the weekend. We can't go anywhere because Hubs is covering for a couple of folks. It's okay though, because we are both bone weary, he is worse than I am. Being a volunteer, I determined how many hours I was willing to expend on the project, being an employee - he wasn't. I gotta tell you, the work ethic in this country is getting worse all the time. I was more than a little angry, not for myself, but for Hubs at the complete lack of work ethic displayed by the groups that I worked with.
I also felt a bit sad when one of the other ones that was working hard walked up to me and asked me where I got my work ethic. Trust me, I was wondering the same as I watched people getting paid good money to work walking around on their cell phones and with their coffee cups. Breaks are good, but dang, when you are up against a hard deadline, there isn't time for that nonsense. Do the job, finish it and then do whatever the heck you want.
Where did I get my work ethic? I have no idea. I like to say it was my upbringing, being a military brat is very different than a "normal" childhood. At least I think that's the case. I never had a traditional childhood and I didn't raise my children in one. It was just the way things were. Chores were finished before play. It was expected that we would get jobs and earn our way. It's just how things have always been.
I feel like I have a complete inability to simply shut off most days. And when I do, like the afternoons this week, I feel so very guilty. I could barely see yesterday afternoon, I'd gotten so much gunk in my eyes that they were raw and blurry. So I sat. That and the fact that I was physically exhausted. My FitBit sure didn't measure the amount of physical work I did this week, my muscles on the other hand are letting me know they tracked every minute of it.
My kids are the same way. My girl will push herself to the end of her physical abilities, she works hard when she is working. If you give her a job to do, she usually beats the deadline by a long shot. My boy, is the same, but he isn't into physical work, but mental... watch out. Sometimes I feel like I birthed a computer. I will wake up at 3 or 4 in the morning and notice he is online. He's two hours behind us, so that makes it 1 or 2 in the morning for him. I'll say hi and ask what he is doing up so late, inevitably if he see's my messages the answer is "I just finished working, getting ready to head to bed".
Both of them work hard, both of them play even harder. They have a balance that I failed at. I have that balance now. It's what allowed me in good conscious to put my own list aside and lend a hand this week. Yes, I have to play a bit of catch up and that is what the bulk of this weekend will be about. We are going out for breakfast with friends and catching the new Maverick movie this afternoon, Hubs has been dying to see it.
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| treats for the babies... |
He's supposed to have a three day weekend, but it isn't going to happen, he has to go to work this morning. It's incredible the selfishness of folks. They all want something done, yesterday, yet never roll up their own sleeves to be a part of the solution. They go and sit around enjoying their weekend, without a single thought to the folks that end up giving up theirs to make things happen.
As I watched those paid employees walking around doing absolutely nothing, I could feel my blood pressure start to rise. I wasn't there because I had a burning desire to pressure wash. I was there because there was far more work than two people could accomplish on their own. I was there because that is what you do, you help one another.
If those paid employees had been working, not socializing, playing on their phones, walking around with their hands on their hips, etc, it would have been short work.
So it definitely begs the question, where is the work ethic today? Has it been deliberately destroyed? I had my phone with me, in a plastic bag to keep it dry. In three days time I touched it four times. Once to answer a call and three times to call for help disconnecting the quick connects that hadn't been cared for and were seized up. I realize I no longer work a "traditional job" that I am no longer a supervisor or responsible for certain things. Those folks don't supervise either. They could easily have put away their electronic leashes for a few hours.
It made me sad. Not mad. Just sad.
I have always been fascinated by the Amish work ethic. Not some of their practices, I've learned of things where they are concerned that break my heart, but their work ethic is impressive. If they need to build a barn, they all gather together and BOOM there's a barn. Canning, quilting, gardening, farming, working their stores, etc. They hold true to the adage that idle hands are the devil's playground.
It looks like somewhere along the way we have lost the ability to pull together, to work as a team to make things happen. Sadly, I think we are going to have to relearn that lesson to pull things together, not just in our own country but globally.
How did we get broken to this extent?
I don't have an answer, I wish I did. I naturally gravitate towards people that are hard workers, that care more about other's and are willing to be a part of the solution, not the problem. I don't have patience for the folks that walk around feeling like the world owes them something.
Will I willingly give my time again? Maybe. It is totally situational. I didn't volunteer for the organization. I volunteered for the people I care about. This project was for my Hubs and his buddy. They are both important to me. It helped that I liked one of the folks they were doing it for. Would I volunteer if I didn't care about the people? I don't know. I used to. I used to volunteer all of the time. To the detriment of myself, I'm not the same person anymore. Just because there is a job that needs someone's attention, doesn't mean I have to be the only one raising my hand. It took me a long time to learn that lesson.
If I volunteer now, it's because I care about the people, the project or realize there is a dire need. Like when I spent a day filling sand bags. I'm not beating folks up for not volunteering. I'm simply voicing my sadness at the people being paid to do a job that can't be thankful for the paycheck or for the volunteers helping to lighten their load.
No one owes anyone anything.
I don't know where I got my work ethic. I just know that I would be so disappointed in myself if I didn't show up with intention in my life.
While that coffee brewed this morning, I cleaned the kitchen and emptied out some very, very old jars of
jelly. I have no idea what kind they were and probably made them at least 15 years ago. They've been sitting on the shelf gathering dust for over a decade. I almost threw the jars away a million times, but my frugal heart couldn't do it. This morning, I dumped them out and scrubbed the jars (those things are like gold these days). I simply have a deep need to be busy.
No one made me do it. My Hubs wouldn't mind if I spent the morning snuggling puppies. I just knew it was what was needed to start my day, to get me on track for the list of things I have set as my goal.
Do you show up with intention? If not, why? I am genuinely curious. I wonder if we are all wired differently? Who knows maybe I am the one that is wrong and should learn to simply be? I wonder...
Well, since I am not wired that way, as much as I would like to sit here with this puppy in my lap, I need to get ready to go to breakfast and start the day...
love and peace....
good one! 381+
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