Too Much Work?

by | Dec 4, 2020 | Uncategorized

Photo by Clark Tibbs on Unsplash

As I have written about before, I like to keep busy.  I might even say my desire to DO things and go go GO is maybe a little OCD or ADHD or one of those maladies you hear about all the time.  Perhaps it is in my DNA, but I like to DO.  I’m not really good at just hanging out without a chore.

Part of my DOING nature is all the planting and growing and weeding and harvesting and preserving and then cleaning out the growing area.  Then there is organizing what seeds and such are left, cleaning and storing the useful pieces to start growing again in February.  The farm provides many avenues of chore and profession.  One could literally never have nothing to do here.

Even though there is nothing growing on the farm in the winter, now in early December my mind is busy thinking of the next planting season. I am eagerly awaiting the seed catalogs and fussing over the remaining plants I have set up under grow lights.  I am trying in mostly vain to keep fresh herbs growing in the basement along with some baby trees and such.

Photo by Francesco Gallarotti on Unsplash

During the growing season I have several friends who enjoy coming to the farm and taking produce home.  One friend in particular who I adore, will take one GIANT zucchini every year and several handfuls of the hot cherry peppers I grow specifically for her.  She will take them all the while lamenting about all the WORK I am creating for her.  Once her zucchini has been made into whatever she is making and her batch of hot sauce is done, she feels very accomplished.  I tried giving her more produce later in the season and she always says NO.  TOO MUCH WORK.  She did come to help me when I broke my wrist though.  She wanted to help pick berries but let me tell you, a berry picker this woman is not.  She kept yelling over to me in my patch that she wasn’t very good at this and was so HOT.  After an hour I came to see what all the fussing was about and saw about 7 berries in her container.  See the blog I did about the tribulations of a professional berry picker.  Picking berries is indeed a lot of work and greatly unpleasant work at that.

Another friend messaged me about a whole slew of green peppers she grew and asked what to do with them.  We also talked about juicing celery and the comment came up again about all that work.  This is from a friend who has 14 horses and a big family and a real job and I thought that maybe people consider the domestic tasks more work than the usual or too much to do after all those other things are done.  I wonder.

Years ago, when I co-owned the hardware store with my ex-husband, I was mesmerized by this new paint the True Value paint factory was making.  It was magnetic paint.  Now, I had seen the chalkboard paint, but this was different.  As soon as I heard about it, I thought of all the fun you could have by making walls magnetic.  From early learning of the alphabet to creative artistic ways to hang teenager’s posters and more, this seemed like an AMAZING thing to me.

Photo by Micah Boswell on Unsplash

To help promote this paint, we arranged to have a table set up in Heinz Hall during a Sunday matinee performance of Scooby Doo.  I considered this an entire audience of thousands of low hanging fruit who would be as wowed as I was and with their kids in tow.  How could they NOT want to buy this paint?  Boy was I wrong.

EVERY SINGLE PERSON who picked up the gallon of paint immediately put it down, said TOO MUCH WORK and squashed my naïve thoughts that this was going to be a lucrative item to sell.  We transported a truck load of that paint to the home show, different schools and barely sold any.  The metal in the paint to make it magnetic made each gallon weigh probably 20 pounds or more.  People were not interested in lugging around gallons of super heavy paint and doing the work of painting.  People usually paint when it is necessary, not just for something cool to do. Hmmmmm…..  what a huge disappointment this was for me.

Are people lazy or do they believe they have a finite amount of energy and enthusiasm within them and when they have reached their perceived limit, they just shut off?  I wonder.

What is work?  Is walking your dog every day work?  Someone recently told me when I asked about the family dog and if he is getting walked that dad said he is “too old for that.”  I asked who is too old, dad or the dog? I was told dad.  WOW.  Dad is young and in good health.  Is the act of taking the dog out regardless of heat, rain, snow or even great weather too much work?  This disturbs me on so many levels.

I’m judging. I know this and honestly on the dog issue, I don’t care.  If you have a dog, you have to walk the dog, EVERY DAY and more than once please.  You should actually ENJOY the walking too.   On the cooking and everything else, to me it comes down to the fact that I truly enjoy the domestic things and I think many people, men or women, just don’t get joy from homemaking.  One of my ex-husband’s friends once said that I have always been a bit strange.  I guess I am a bit DIFFERENT than many, but so what?   My uniqueness has brought me so many amazing experiences.    😊 My response to calling me strange is saying, “I’m receiving what you are saying.  I accept your kind gift.”  I fly my freak flag all the time and proudly at that. I’ve never been accused of being ordinary or lazy! Strange is just fine!

Photo by Filip Mroz on Unsplash

I like to iron.  This one really throws people.  I like the hot steam that comes out of the iron, the creases coming out of the fabric as I apply pressure to the tool.  As I iron tablecloths and napkins, I remember the meals I have served and start planning the next one.  I get true satisfaction from seeing those linens all lined up waiting for their next trip to the dining room table or even the coffee table and couch if we are eating casual, which we often do.  I am not a “save the good stuff for special occasions” type of girl. Use the good glasses and gramma’s china now and the good towels and soaps.  And yes, create more work for yourself by having to hand wash the china and crystal but try and enjoy that work.  When I am cold, nothing warms me up like handwashing dishes.  Seriously.

So, after I finish this blog, I am going to make a huge batch of Fire Cider.  I ordered little amber bottles yesterday and in about 2 weeks, when the fire cider is good and fermented, I will bottle all this homemade medicine and give them out for Christmas gifts to loved ones along with elderberry wellness syrup, mushroom extracts and who knows what else.  I am going to call it Marsha’s COVID-19-Free elixirs or something like that.

Kathy Lee Gifford has a new book out and when she was interviewed on the Today show the other day she said, DO WHAT YOU ENJOY DOING AND FIND A WAY TO GET PAID FOR IT.  I am still in the figuring out how to get paid stage, but I am certainly WORKING at all this culinary, farming and creative stuff and spending these winter days (after I hike the dogs) really learning about all the healing powers of herbs. Hopefully by next year at this time I will be a full blown certified Herbologist and will hang out my Good Witch shingle and take on clients.  I will start charging for all the free advice I currently give.   But in the meantime, help a sister out and buy my book for you or someone you love.  The healthy recipes and no nonsense talk about good nutrition are bound to inspire you to do a little bit of new work! I hope so anyway!!! http://My Healing Cookbooklet: Recipes for Restoration and Good Health: Cassel, Marsha: 9781734711905: Amazon.com: Books

Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash

#createfunwork #neverstoplearning #believeinyourself #workhard