Laborious Five

Here in the USA we are celebrating the last fling of the good ol' summertime. It is Labor Day weekend, and families are camping, playing in the park, swimming, grilling hotdogs in the backyard, visiting amusement parks and zoos and historical sites and outdoor concerts and whatever else they can find to help them extend summer's sun and play just a little bit longer.

It is supposed to also be a celebration of the working man and woman, the backbone of the American economy, the "salt-of-the-earth neices and nephews of Uncle Sam. With apologies to those in other countries, this is a Friday Five about LABOR. All can play. Put down that hammer, that spoon, that rolling pin, that rake, that pen, that commentary, that lexicon, and let's have some fun.

1. Tell us about the worst job you ever had.
There have been a few. I can't say delivering phone books was all so much fun. I think I would have to go with the summer during college I worked in a factory during an extended 2nd shift. I spent 10 hours a day putting notches in the ends of little pieces of wood so they could be snapped into windows. The two biggest challenges were both "social" issues. The majority of the factory workers worked the shift before me. So during my shift there were only a handful of people and they were often working in a different part of the factory so I often felt like I was there alone. The other problem was that most of my friends worked more typical 9-5 shifts and so weren't really available to spend time after work when I got home around 2 a.m. Go figure.

2. Tell us about the best job you ever had.
I had some really great opportunities during my seminary years. I got to spend a summer in Minocqua, WI living on a lake and preaching at 3 different campgrounds on Sundays. I also got to spend a summer in Gypsum, CO (just outside of Vail) where I got to preach and live in the mountains for a summer. I think my favorite was an unpaid job, when I got to co-host a morning "drive-time" radio show called "The Coffee Crew" during my internship in Nome, AK.

3. Tell us what you would do if you could do absolutely anything (employment related) with no financial or other restrictions. That's a harder one because so much has been financial driven that I haven't dreamed this way in a while. There is a part of me that would like to do something like writing that could tap into my creativity. I think a bigger part of me would go for something like being an adventure guide, especially if it involved whitewater.

4. Did you get a break from labor this summer? If so, what was it and if not, what are you gonna do about it?
We did get away briefly this summer, with a couple of days camping and a couple of days down the river. The highlight was probably seeing "Church Basement Ladies 2" (I probably got the name wrong, sorry). We also have a good bit of time off this fall so are looking at ways of splurging a little more.

5. What will change regarding your work as summer morphs into fall? Are you anticipating or dreading? I don't know if it's anticipation or dread really, but more curiosity. With "baby" due any time now I suspect work will need to be a bit more flexible. How will "baby" change my perspective? How will "baby" change the people around me? How will my "labor" change at home? It's all really fascinating, interesting stuff and I can hardly wait to find out the answers.

Bonus question: For the gals who are mothers, do you have an interesting story about labor and delivery (LOL)? If you are a guy pal, not a mom, or you choose not to answer the above, is there a song, a book, a play, that says "workplace" to you? OK, I know I'm not a gal, but I can't resist sharing on that question. You see today marks us being one week overdue. I find it interesting that as we head off to our doctors appointment that we might need to induce "labor" on Monday, Labor Day. If nothing else I suppose it all a part of Labor Day weekend and things should finally happen then.... maybe later we will have stories of freak outs or other stupid things I may do in the midst of delivery.