The sweat poured easily from my being yesterday as I worked to clean up a pine tree and some other trees’ large branches that had blown down in our farmyard during the previous afternoon — them the victims of a harsh mid-afternoon burst of wind and rain that in 15 minutes left three-quarters of an inch of wetness on our soil.
I paused for a moment during the work to dab some of the perspiration on my brow, in a feeble attempt to keep it from getting into my eyes.
That moment of pause made me consider all the physical work that somehow gets done on the countryside in weather around 90 degrees with high humidity. It made me think of condensation-slicked barn alleys and my consideration many years ago about how to answer whether I wanted to load the bales or work in the haymow. It made me think about times I’ve known construction work in such conditions, or times of service when even the warm water from a canteen was welcomed.
Those experiences — that sort of work — mostly only are memories for me. But they serve as enough of a reminder that there so many folks who don’t have air conditioning as an option as they continue to do physical labor as we reach the depths of summer’s heat.
I’ve known that work just enough to fully appreciate the men and women who during all weather conditions work to keep the rest of us fed.
I tip my sweat-laden hat to those folks and offer my sincere thanks. I’d even offer a reminder to stay hydrated, but remembered that those who do the real work in this heat already know to get some extra water into themselves.
Stay cool, my working friends. Today, I raise a glass of chocolate milk in your honor.
— Scott Schultz
Leave a Reply