I used to work in a greenhouse for almost 10 years. I wasn't paid in cash but I took my pay in trade. I know what hard work is because I had nine children and now almost 14 grandchildren. I babysit and do a number of things with my grandchildren that keeps me busy.
As I said, most of my jobs have been without pay, like writing and publishing both a parents' newsletter and an alumnae newspaper at the high school where my children attended. For a time, I helped my daughter in her catering kitchen for nothing, then in exchange for a few dollars. Eventually she fired me because we clashed.
Now after a two-year hiatus from the greenhouse, I called and got back my old job. This time the job came with filling out employee papers, and a salary. I will clock in and out on a time sheet.
The first time that I worked at the greenhouse, every part of my body was sore, from the roots of my hair, right down to my toenails. I had to learn how to adapt to working in a greenhouse, wearing layered clothes, and sturdy work boots. It is hard carrying around big sacks of soil, carrying filled trays with soil and plants back and forth to different greenhouses. My legs got tired from standing on the brick and hard dirt floors for hours at a time. There is definitely a lot of heavy lifting, pushing, and standing.
Now after two years, I thought that working at the greenhouse would be easy. Well, I was wrong. After about three hours, every muscle in my body was in pain. I leaned over trying to stretch and almost started to cry two or three times, and almost walked away from the job. I worked for six hours, went home, moaning. I took two aspirins and stood under a hot shower. Eventually my body seemed to be okay.
With the pain came a number of lessons that I learned at the greenhouse. I learned that I love working there, and when I am not there, I miss it. I learned that dirt is called soil: baby plugs are little plants, and watering can take hours a day to do. On a gloomy winter day, the greenhouse is warm and there are plants in bloom. and being there makes me feel alive.
Now at the age of 64, I am a bona fide employee, who will be working for money. The work is hard but rewarding and I will take home a pay check, two times a month. It isn't the money but feeling productive about myself. So in that aspect, I have a lot in common with the plants.
You really don't know until the day to day has quieted down, the kids are gone, that it is necessity for the human spirit to be occupied. And being paid for what you do is affirmation that we all can use no matter what age.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I was totally content when I worked for trade and when I was among all that beauty and I knew that I had a part in it. I would still have worked for trade or free but there is something about that tiny paycheck that makes me feel pretty big. Bottom line is that feeling of being productive.
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