I bet those are terms we all use often…grunt work. But really what exactly defines grunt work?
Is it the yucky, nasty jobs?
Is it the cleaning jobs?
Is it the job that no one else wants to do?
Is it hard work?
Is it walking a field picking up rock after rock and tossing it into the tractor bucket?
Back before I was a farm wife I worked for CVS Pharmacy for about 7 years. I started as a “cleaning girl” and worked my way up to shift supervisor before I left. For 7 years, even in my final 2 years as a supervisor, I cleaned the toilets every week, even though most people consider this grunt work. My manager offered to have another person clean it, but honestly I didn’t see it as any real burden and I really didn’t consider it grunt work.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I still sometimes complain about some of the nasty, yucky jobs I have to do around the farm. We all do. But, if there is one thing I totally get now it’s the fact that there is no such thing as “grunt work”.
No matter what it is, someone has to do it. It has to get done, no matter what.
If there is one area my husband is prideful in, and I would say his brothers are the same way, is that the three of them would never give someone else a job that they would not do themselves. (My in-laws raised some pretty amazing boys!)
And that was the mentality I had once I became a supervisor for CVS. Yes, I would still clean the toilets because it honestly never bothered me and I also know that the cashiers that worked under me respected me more because of it.
So, around the farm there are always jobs that we may or may not want to do, but the reality is, someone has to do it in order for us to keep running our farm smoothly.
Last week I spent an entire 8 hours cleaning all of our water fountains for the cattle. (I wish I had taken a picture, but I forgot!) They were gross and gooey and by the end of my cleaning them all I was covered in manure and water. To make it even better, when I got in the pick up later that day for a ride my husband looks at me, scrunches up his nose and said “Honey, I hate to tell you this, but you stink..really bad”.
But guess what?
Someone had to do it. And really it didn’t bother me, yes it’s gooey and gross, but it’s also kind of relaxing and fun, especially when the sun is shining and it’s beautiful outside.
And as amazing as you might find this…cattle can not clean their own water fountains- crazy right?
Yesterday I spent a few hours cleaning tractors. My husband said he asked me to do it because he knows how much of an organized clean freak I am.
Before the cleaning lady arrived the three specimens looked like this:
Notice you see a few things here..
1. Lots and lots of dust (If you use a tractor…it gets dirty)
2. Corn (When you plant, harvest, and feed corn it is bound to be somewhere in most pieces of equipment..including washing machines or dryers)
3. Mountain Dew bottles (My husband and his brother have a problem…)
Things you aren’t seeing…
1. Crayons (Got to keep all the kids occupied somehow)
2. Diet Coke bottles (My other brother in law also has a problem…)
3. Candy wrappers (My husband also has a second problem- Laffy Taffy)
3. Candy wrappers (My husband also has a second problem- Laffy Taffy)
4. Fire extinguishers, paper towels, and window cleaners (Pretty much the essentials in nearly all our tractors)
To start off my “grunt work” of the day I began with these items:
Yes, I need the drink because I get super thirsty with all the dust! |
When I am done cleaning tractors it looks like this:
Really dirty, grungy water (That I have changed 3 times)…and lots of paper towels..and I do mean lots. |
Even what you might consider grunt work can be enjoyable and relaxing.
So, in conclusion…
There is no such thing as grunt work, there simply is only what needs to be done.
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