Ditchdigging

This post is really about the Changes picnic.  Despite the picture and the title.  It seems that when I grew up, the job of digging ditches was put up as what would happen if you didn't go to school.  My parents would threaten me that if I didn't do well in school, I would end up digging ditches.  A disgrace.  A really bad outcome.  I suppose as a 'girl child' (as my father put it), I wouldn't dig ditches.  Probably only men dug ditches.  But something else bad would happen.

Yesterday, I was talking to a couple who've been with the group for several years and have taken some leadership positions.  They looked pleased as punch and told me that their son had an ACTUAL JOB that had a legal paycheck associated with it.  A huge step.  Not only that, he was sharing an apartment with some other young people.  I asked what kind of job and the dad told me that he wasn't sure but it involved digging ditches.  They both looked SO proud, huge smiles on their faces.

I totally get it.  I've quipped that I should form a subgroup of parents who wanted their kids to get jobs too much.  I know of several families (often with highly educated professional parents) who would be thrilled THRILLED to find that their young adult child had a job digging ditches.  Something legal,  They believe (there's some truth in this) that having a job will encourage their adult child, giving them some self esteem.

God bless them.

I also received the Volunteer of the Year award.  I felt very honored.  As is often the case, I've received more than I've given.