#52 Stories--Story # 24

Describe your work ethic.  Who taught you how to work? What would you want your children and grandchildren to learn from your example?

Like all good things in my life, I was taught by my parents to work.  I knew that nothing comes for free early on.  I knew that good things took work and good work--no matter what kind it was--was valuable.  I never enjoyed the work my mom would assign us as kids--usually it involved yard work, weeding, etc. and that just made me hot, sticky and cranky. But I knew my parents were hard workers.  They had worked all their lives.  They told us frequently about the kind of things they did--even for fun as they grew up and if they wanted anything, they had to work for it.

I would hope my kid and grandkids knew that any honorable work is worthwhile.  I have always appreciated that my dad--a mechanic long before he was a business owner--worked hard a ta dirty job and that he took pride in being good at what he did  There was not a college degree that would have done that for him. just his own hard work and diligent honest effort. My mom worked to make her own clothes from the time she could earn money. She developed her mind and used it well as she worked for others before she finally worked with my dad to build a successful business. They were successful together because they matched one  another in their ethical practices focusing on honesty, and good hard labor to do what they needed to serve their customers.  They had a slew of loyal customers too, when they finally retired. They didn't cut corners and they followed the rules. they worked hard for many many years to build what they did.

I hope my own family will see the same in us.  I didn't have the same work history that Genius Golfer has had but he is just as hard a worker in his field as my parents were in theirs. When the kids were young, he worked up to three jobs so that I could be home full time raising our children.  That was important to him. He grew up with a single mom who had to work to support their family and he missed having her in the home like I was able to for The Boy and The Girl. I always appreciated that about him and worked hard in my sphere to see that his sacrifice fro our family was worth it. sometimes I think it would have been easier to have a job somewhere with a paycheck to show what my efforts were worth, but now I have the kids to show that payoff.  It is a good exchange.  Hard work, no matter where it is done is worthwhile.