Labor
Day
“Nobody
can think straight who does not work. Idleness warps the mind.”
Henry Ford
I'm inclined to agree
with Henry Ford—but then, I'm a workaholic. If I do not have a
project of some ilk going, I'm pretty miserable. I believe, with
Martin Luther King, Jr. that “all work that uplifts humanity has
dignity and importance.” It does not matter to me whether I'm
folding laundry, or writing a blog, making jam, or creating a quilt,
these hands must be busy for the rest of me to feel happy.
There is no species on
earth that does not have its work cut out for it, except perhaps
middle-class dogs and cats. I'm watching a flock of house finches at
the feeders this morning. They're working to feed themselves, knock
seeds to the ground so they're easier to get to, and to aggressively
defend the feeders from other birds all at the same time. Think of a
pride of lions or a pack of wolves—before they can eat, they have
to calculate where to find prey, locate them, chase them down, and
then dispatch that prey. The odds are 50-50 as to whether they will
eat on any given day. I often watch a pair of hawks in my
neighborhood; they may work all day to find and catch their next
meal. All living creatures are meant to labor, and we humans are no
different.
Thomas Edison, who said,
“There is no substitute for hard work,” knew of what he spoke. He
held 1,093 patents, including the light bulb and the phonograph. He
also failed 1,000 times before creating a light bulb that worked, and
his venture to create furniture out of cement didn't go so well
either. What matters is that he kept on trying and out of all that
effort came some of the greatest inventions of his time.
I'm a believer in work. I
think retirement is kind of like Hallmark valentines—a made up
thing that serves no one—except for Hallmark, of course. Labor day
is a good time to appreciate all the things we take for granted every
other day—all the folks who make our lives easier, from the cashier
in the grocery store, to the road crews that repave our streets.
Martin Luther King, Jr. said that all work “should be undertaken
with painstaking excellence.” Today,
while you're grilling those Labor Day burgers, give thanks for
all the hands that came before you to make your burger so delicious.
And, give thanks.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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