I've heard people disparaging manual labor--a lot of them college students. As if breaking your back to work in the out-of-doors is somehow reserved for peasants. Although I'm sure many college degrees are required for some hard laboring in the out of doors (I've applied for a few). Probably due to the fact that as a kid my dad made money doing hard, manual labor (and as a result, those were the first jobs I did), it completely fails to hold the same terror for me as it apparently does for a lot of these
Honestly, there are worse things in life. Dishwashing comes to mind. Actually, there are things worse than dishwashing.
I've spent the last two months since getting done gradumacated and guess what? It's a really bad time to be an ex-student. At least as a student I could get jobs at the college and I was on financial aid to batter back the really expensive expenses that come with being an adult. As an ex-student, though, all I have is a shiny degree which seems to have the same effect as scooping a cup of water out of the ocean. Less, even, because now I'm actually overqualified for stuff now.
So guess what? I'm digging holes. Yes, it's a one-time thing. But for the first time in a few years I was actually engaging in hard, sweaty, dirty work.
I forgot how much I -- enjoyed isn't really the correct word, but in the absence of others, it will do --it. The burn of muscles as I slam a pickaxe into ground that has more in common with basalt flows than dirt and the cheer of accomplishment from the voices in my head as another tree is set properly into place.
But the cool thing is, while your body is creating a finished masterpiece of yardwork or whatever, your mind can be off gallivanting and thinking. And thinking.
It can really be quite stimulating, when you get down to it.
An unfortunate side effect seems to be every bit of my body aching in new and interesting ways, but it can suck it.
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