Work Until You Die

Legacy...

My maternal grandfather, Fred, was a Norwegian immigrant who worked his entire life, farming, being a hired hand and "chasing cows" in a meat packing plant.  His accent was long lost but his enthusiasm for working never ended.  He was a laborer, had not time for bosses or "big shots" and appreciated the opportunity make money, have a roof and food on the table.  He did not expect much more.

As the story goes, Norwegians work until they drop and eat until they sweat.  Working until you die must be part of culture for the immigrants.  Those who stayed in Norway have benefited greatly from North Sea oil and are more comfortable with less working and more vacations.

Peer Group Deaths...Early Death

Both sides of my family have pretty good genetics and many live into their 90s and even over 100.  There are issues with that.  This past weekend was my 45th high school reunion.  There have been reunions every five years.  This is the ninth.  I attended the first one at five years and none of the others...for a variety of reasons.  Wayne Larson drowned the night before our high school graduation.  I was sitting on the other side of the lake watching the recovery effort, wondering who had drowned.  John Gill died in a poorly driven VW bug a couple of years later.  Bruce kratzke was a Viet Nam fatality.  My friend from elementary school, John Johnson, was a victim of diabetes.  Ione Grove died of cancer.  Bruce Mathiason was a Christian Scientist and went home to die at 21 from curable leukemia.  Mike Hall, tormented by his role in NVA deaths took his own life.

The high school graduating class was five hundred and something.  Fifty or more people have died.  As I looked at the photos and the names there were some that I thought "that's logical that they are dead" and others of whom the names and pictures trigger nothing.

It's possible some of these people died doing their life's work.  It's unlikely any of them died chasing cows in a meat packing plant.  Did they leave their mark on the world?  What was their contribution to the GNP, world peace,  culture, the arts, or were they slackers.

In the many comments on Facebook people from the 1969 class commented "it is so sad," "there are so many,"  "I knew of some but not this many."  Some of those living have stopped working, other not.  It's a time of transition.  Certainly looking at this poster board of lives' gone short might encourage a change to stop working (until you die) and enjoy that which is there or be an incentive to put your head down and finish the work undone,  to impact something in this world that will be around after you are gone (other than the dumb comments and dancing cat videos you uploaded to Facebook).

This morning I awoke to overcast skies, the basswood trees moving gently and

an evolving list of what I wanted to get done today.  When I left the 27 year gig everyone (well some) congratulated me saying "enjoy your retirement."  I'm not really retired.  Actually I'm not retired at all.  There is a lot of work to be done.  Every job, every contract, every project has had its' rewards.  I expect many more rewards.

The Cost of Working...

Since leaving the 27-year gig I've not purchased (or worn) any "business casual" clothing but I've destroyed pants, shirts and shoes doing "real work."  The plan is to need more "business casual" this fall or winter.

I need to find work of the legacy type.  In the real world of work the last ten days has consumed my Stihl weed trimmer ($250), a set of tires ($700) and some belts and miscellaneous on my "better" John Deere mower ($200).  It's costly to do either white collar or blue collar work.