I grew up in a blue collar family - no shame! :) My Mom sewed T-shirts in a factory and my Dad was a lineman. For most of my teenage years, I did farm work, picking veggies & fruit and planting ornamental baskets of flowers for a local farmer. The complainers should try living without clothes or electricity or food; or maybe break out a sewing machine to make their own clothes or try climbing a telephone pole to fix a broken wire (they didn't use the bucket-trucks back when my Dad was on the job, they used spikes to climb the poles!) or try to grow their own vegetables, and they might soon change their tune.
I tried waitressing once (before I got smart and went with one of the things I was good at, farm work). I was (and still am) clumsy and I have a horrible memory, so you can probably see where this is going. I lasted one night, and not even the entire shift. I kept mixing up orders and dropping things. The pinnacle of my ineptitude was when I accidentally dropped a bowl of pureed butternut squash all over somebody's three piece suit... it was like a nightmare - it's amazing how far a small bowl of squash can spread itself out all over an expensive piece of clothing! At that point, the manager (who happened to be friends with my Dad, which is why he agreed to let me try the job) called me over and politely but firmly told me that he didn't think I was cut out for the work, and sent me home. The owner of the suit was very gracious (thank goodness, since I would not have been able to afford to pay for the dry cleaning!). Serving food is an important job and sure as heck isn't easy!
Something I was good at was being a nursing aide - back when I was on the job, most of the residents were thrilled when I walked into their room to help them dress every morning, because they knew that I would let them go at their own pace and not rush them. I didn't have much time to socialize with my co-workers, but I got everything done, and I left happy, relaxed residents in my wake. Back in the early 2000's, a nursing aide was paid $10 to $15 per hour for backbreaking, sometimes heart breaking, work, but I loved it. Now I work full time taking care of my father-in-law at home, and I love that even more.
Most of the people who lived in the nursing home appreciated being cared for by someone who really wanted to make sure they were comfortable and happy, and they respected how much work it took to care for them. Their relatives, often not so much - they would sometimes treat me like a nonentity or a servant - I would have to remind them that I was there to help their Grandma or Grandpa, and that visitors were responsible for fetching their own snacks or drinks (though if Grandma or Grandpa asked me to fetch refreshments so they could entertain their family members properly, that was a different story, of course). The opinions of the family members didn't matter to me, the residents were the only ones who mattered - I always told them that they were the boss. :) I loved that job, despite the heavy physical work load, the occasional frustration and messes, the sorrow at the death or suffering of one of "my" residents, and the low pay, because I knew that my work made it possible for my elderly charges to live a better life... and I knew I was good at it, too. There aren't many people who are capable of patiently and cheerfully answering the same question every five to ten minutes (it happens), and talking to people or pets (with a straight face) that only the resident can see - I am proud of posessing this ability. :)
I'm a pretty mousy person, but when I see someone being a jerk to a cashier or waitress, I speak up - there is absolutely no excuse for rude behavior towards someone who is only trying to help. Everyone should respect the people who work in the service industries - because of these folks, we can walk on clean streets,take an occasional break from cooking by going out to eat a nice meal, know that someone will take care of us if we are ever incapable of doing so ourselves, have electricity running in our houses, have functional septic systems (you don't think that's important? You should smell how awful it is when it backs up!), and many more things... it's a pretty awesome gift!
BTW, I love the post you reposted: "If you use someone's job as an example of failure, you're not freaking allowed to benefit from their work." Perfect. Thank you!
I grew up in a blue collar family - no shame! :) My Mom sewed T-shirts in a factory and my Dad was a lineman. For most of my teenage years, I did farm work, picking veggies & fruit and planting ornamental baskets of flowers for a local farmer. The complainers should try living without clothes or electricity or food; or maybe break out a sewing machine to make their own clothes or try climbing a telephone pole to fix a broken wire (they didn't use the bucket-trucks back when my Dad was on the job, they used spikes to climb the poles!) or try to grow their own vegetables, and they might soon change their tune.
I tried waitressing once (before I got smart and went with one of the things I was good at, farm work). I was (and still am) clumsy and I have a horrible memory, so you can probably see where this is going. I lasted one night, and not even the entire shift. I kept mixing up orders and dropping things. The pinnacle of my ineptitude was when I accidentally dropped a bowl of pureed butternut squash all over somebody's three piece suit... it was like a nightmare - it's amazing how far a small bowl of squash can spread itself out all over an expensive piece of clothing! At that point, the manager (who happened to be friends with my Dad, which is why he agreed to let me try the job) called me over and politely but firmly told me that he didn't think I was cut out for the work, and sent me home. The owner of the suit was very gracious (thank goodness, since I would not have been able to afford to pay for the dry cleaning!). Serving food is an important job and sure as heck isn't easy!
Something I was good at was being a nursing aide - back when I was on the job, most of the residents were thrilled when I walked into their room to help them dress every morning, because they knew that I would let them go at their own pace and not rush them. I didn't have much time to socialize with my co-workers, but I got everything done, and I left happy, relaxed residents in my wake. Back in the early 2000's, a nursing aide was paid $10 to $15 per hour for backbreaking, sometimes heart breaking, work, but I loved it. Now I work full time taking care of my father-in-law at home, and I love that even more.
Most of the people who lived in the nursing home appreciated being cared for by someone who really wanted to make sure they were comfortable and happy, and they respected how much work it took to care for them. Their relatives, often not so much - they would sometimes treat me like a nonentity or a servant - I would have to remind them that I was there to help their Grandma or Grandpa, and that visitors were responsible for fetching their own snacks or drinks (though if Grandma or Grandpa asked me to fetch refreshments so they could entertain their family members properly, that was a different story, of course). The opinions of the family members didn't matter to me, the residents were the only ones who mattered - I always told them that they were the boss. :) I loved that job, despite the heavy physical work load, the occasional frustration and messes, the sorrow at the death or suffering of one of "my" residents, and the low pay, because I knew that my work made it possible for my elderly charges to live a better life... and I knew I was good at it, too. There aren't many people who are capable of patiently and cheerfully answering the same question every five to ten minutes (it happens), and talking to people or pets (with a straight face) that only the resident can see - I am proud of posessing this ability. :)
I'm a pretty mousy person, but when I see someone being a jerk to a cashier or waitress, I speak up - there is absolutely no excuse for rude behavior towards someone who is only trying to help. Everyone should respect the people who work in the service industries - because of these folks, we can walk on clean streets,take an occasional break from cooking by going out to eat a nice meal, know that someone will take care of us if we are ever incapable of doing so ourselves, have electricity running in our houses, have functional septic systems (you don't think that's important? You should smell how awful it is when it backs up!), and many more things... it's a pretty awesome gift!
BTW, I love the post you reposted: "If you use someone's job as an example of failure, you're not freaking allowed to benefit from their work." Perfect. Thank you!