There is honour in dirt

There is honour in dirt, there is goodness in doing the dirty jobs.  Luke loves watching Dirty Jobs, he respects and admires workers in trades and in jobs like farmers.  Someone asked me what our hopes for him were - and my reply was, anything that makes him happy!  But being a bit 'old school' they had concerns that he would do a manual job or perhaps something that was hard or would be dirty.  I couldn't help but laugh!

Dirty as a problem?   Not likely, and as I got to thinking about it I really considered there is honour in dirt.  There is something about someone who is not afraid of dirt that makes me proud.  Mike Rowe, of Dirty Jobs, has some really great ideas on subjects like this, and he inspires us with his show.  For us it isn't always about the dirt in the job, but the people and their ingenuity.  Their spirit  and determination to make things happen, to get things done.

I've done some dirty jobs and I've done clean and tidy jobs.  Except for a few wish-I-could-forget moments I'd take the dirty ones any day!  Well almost any day! 

When I think about the future I think we'll have more of a need for people who can and will do the dirty jobs.  People who can literally muck their way through and be okay with it.  Growing food, fighting fires, tending animals, building structures, repairing and retrofitting.  When we have dirt on our hands we know we did something.  Maybe not earth shattering or Nobel Prize winning but something we can put our hands around, take a photo of, stand back from and say, "yep got that done." Even if it is only done for that moment or that day.

My family has a long history of dirt and I'm proud of it. Farmers, ranchers, builders, labourers, ship's captains and scoundrels.  Men, women and children who pioneered, invented and created with dirt on their hands.  So keep on getting dirty Mike, Andrew and the gang from Mythbusters. Keep on getting dirty farmers, fire fighters, Moms and Dads,  hydro men and women, miners and fishermen, vets and rescuers.  Keep on getting dirty, there is honour in that dirt!  (please wash your hands before eating!)