Labor on Labor Day

Labor Day is funny in the fact that it is usually associated with kids going back to school (going BACK to work) and as the last bank holiday for us working stiffs (said jokingly) during the summer. It's ironic for me in the fact that I was at work today for the early shift. My make-up holiday was yesterday, as I usually work Sundays in this career I am in, but I am now transitioning to a Monday through Friday schedule.

I work in an office, which is what I am good at, so I like to get out and work outside every once in awhile. I get my blood moving and feel accomplished when I mow the lawn and see it looking nice or clear a large path through the thick foliage on my parents' five acres. I don't even mind getting a little cut up from brush and sticker bushes I encounter in doing hard physical labor.

I like to get out and breathe that fresh Oregon air and get some sun if it's available (outside of summer, sun is hard to come by in these parts). Even on cooler, cloudier days it is enjoyable to get out and sweat. I live in a suburban area, so the kind of work I do outside at my house is mowing the lawn, setting the sprinkler, edging the lawn and fixing the gutter. My backyard is somewhat unique in that it is mostly just a big hill, so I have been working on whittling it down to size little by little. It's a lot of work, and so far I have been doing it by hand with shovel and pick axe. Here are some pictures of me working on the hill:

My parents live in a more rural part of the Willamette Valley, Oregon and I get to go over there sometimes and help tame the wildness of their five acres. Since moving back to Oregon after getting out of the Marines, I have helped my Dad clear the land around the perimeter to make way for the fence-line, set fence posts, dig post holes, hack through brush with a machete, take care of the garden, and run the weed whacker over places my parents did not want weeds.

This is me sitting on a New Holland Tractor at the Oregon State Fair a couple of years ago. When I was younger, I used to mow my parents fields with a Ford New Holland tractor and loved it! Working outside has always been a favorite pastime of mine.

For me, the hard physical labor is therapeutic. It's not only good exercise, but leaves me with a sense of accomplishment and helps me sleep better at night. It usually puts me in a good mood, too. I enjoy working with others or just working by myself. In working with others, I get to enjoy camaraderie and the synergy of being on a team, whereas working by myself I get time to think things out with no one around.

I encourage you, whether you have a desk job or not, to get out there and do some hard physical labor. Just working outside doing light chores is also enjoyable. I think you will find it's fun to work outdoors. On this Labor Day, maybe you can do some work on your own property or help a friend or relative work on theirs. In most parts of the world, the nice weather will soon end as summer cools to fall and then onto winter.  Work outside while it is still agreeable to do so.

Me working on a Marine Corps helicopter in Iraq a long time ago