Hats Off

As I made my way to the train this morning, I saw so many people up and working that I just wanted to take a moment to thank them. It’s still a little dark when I leave my house and it’s early. Early for me certainly, but early for anyone to already be working but a lot of people are.

Gardeners are up blowing off the leaves that have fallen the night before. They seemed surprised when I say hello, but they are always friendly. There were also a bunch of guys moving some very heavy equipment out of the AT&T central office and some other guys making deliveries. To be up, dressed, and out making deliveries at 7 am means you have to be up at what time?  Yikes. My favorite diner, the Peninsula Creamery, is open and bustling as was beloved Curry Up Now, my favorite Indian street food place where they are already cooking and had hundreds of boxes out ready to receive curry lunches to go, one presumes.

It reminds me how grateful I am that I get to do work I enjoy in an office. I learned the value of that years ago when my Mom refused to let any of her kids just lie around the house during the summer. If you didn’t get a job, she’d find plenty of work for you to do. And let me assure you that there are many jobs you don’t want to do in Mississippi in the summer, like cleaning out gutters or washing endless windows in the punishing heat and humidity.  We learned quickly to get ourselves a nice mall job where you get a lunch hour and air conditioning.  Some lessons stick.

There are still lots of jobs I don’t want to do. I’m thankful that I don’t have do those for today, anyway.  But hats off to the hard working folks out there doing all kinds of things that keep this whole thing working. I have no idea what their dreams and ambitions are but here’s hoping they get more than they need and all that they want.