They say that if you don't use it, you lose it. And it is true in some circumstances, but somethings are burned so deep into your memory, that forgetting them would be like forgetting your name.
My Summers through college and even a year after college, were spent working for my dad's lawn care company. My first Summer working for them, let's just say....boy, oh boy. I was lower than the lowest on the totem pole. I didn't know ANYTHING about ANYTHING when it came to lawn care. My dad has been doing this for as long as I can remember and I never once, up until day 1 of work, paid any attention to those stripes in the yard.
I can honestly say I thought to myself, 'How hard could this be? Riding a lawn mower all day.' By mid-morning I remember thinking, I need a break, or water, or lunch, or a shift change. ASAP!
Without saying, it was not the most glamorous of jobs for a 19-24 year old girl. I was naive to the idea of heat, allergies, scalp sunburns, and using a filthy dirty sleeve to wipe the sweat from my face before eating lunch. I was unprepared for the look-there's-a-girl-doing-the-same-job-I-am stares from some very small minded men in other companies. And, good luck finding a bathroom!
But, I am SO grateful that he hired me.
Here's why.
Tonight, I got to do something I haven't done in a few years now. I did yucky, labor-some yard work. Raking and leveling out dusty gravel, lopping off tree limbs, throwing heavy logs and limbs in the brush, and clearing a path in the woods for the Bobcat to do its thing.
It was tiring and hot. But as I was climbing the hill back to the house, I thought to myself, I miss this work.
After that first Summer of working for my dad, I went back to school with a knowledge that no other female friend of mine had. I learned how to start and run a commercial zero-turn mower. I learned how to re-string a weed eater and sharpen blades. I learned how to drive a truck and trailer, a dump truck, and how to back them both up. I learned how to change the oil in trucks. I learned how to leave a yard looking great and not spending all day to do it. I learned how to use chain saws and hedge trimmers (and learned to keep them away from my knees, too). I learned to drive a Bobcat and a tractor. And, I learned the value of water-proof boots!
Really, what my dad may not be aware of, is that he taught me skills that if I had to do use them today on my own, I could. He built confidence in me that can NEVER be taken away. He opened my eyes that this is a tough job, but some of the toughest lessons are the one's you'll learn the most from.
Wouldn't mind a day, or two, doing it again....
....but I sure do love my access to indoor plumbing...
