My 500 Words: A Writing Challenge - Day 27

Today's writing prompt is to write about work. Work meant something very different to the older generation. To them, work meant getting up early and working a job that usually required hard physical labor. They worked on the farm taking care of animals before the sun came up each morning. They tilled the garden months in advance to prepare the soil for the seeds. 

The women worked, too. They took care of the home and the children, which was a full-time job that demanded their attention at all times. Women also picked the vegetables in the garden and prepared them for canning. That is hard work! 

When I was a little girl, I'd help my Granny silk corn from the garden. That meant I would have to take a brush and go over and over the corn until all the fine "hair" was gone. The "hair" was thin yellow strands that you definitely didn't want to eat. Then, Granny would cut all the kernels off the ear of corn. We'd do that over and over until every ear of corn was done.

I also remember standing over a simmering pot of tomatoes that were cooking over the burner Granny and Papa had set up outside. The fresh tomatoes they'd picked that morning were now being cooked down so Granny could can them later.

It was usually hot and humid when we did this, so as I watched the tomatoes bubble up in the pot, my face would bead with sweat. It was made worse by the heat emanating from underneath the pot. I knew it'd be worth it, though when I wanted some homemade tomato soup in the winter.

The generation of young people today weren't brought up in the same manner. Things have been a lot easier for us. We have the conveniece of technology meaning everything is at our finger tips. We don't know what it means to be patient because all companies are striving to make everything faster and better. Many of us don't know the value of hard work because we haven't had to struggle.

If there is one thing my grandparents have taught me it is that anything worth having comes by work. If you don't work and apply yourself, you will never succeed. In a day where everyone is taking shortcuts, I choose to be different. I choose to take a little extra time and give a little more effort than is required.

Why do I do this? I do it because I know the value of work. Work isn't just something you do to get a paycheck. Work is necessary in all aspects of life, in the home and on the job. If you don't work to maintain something, it will eventually fall apart. May we all remember the saying, "A little hard work never hurt anyone."