An odd mix of work and play themes this holiday. Though rooted in celebrations of workers and history of organized labor, we generally think of it as a last wave of summer play. And so my own thoughts, as I enjoy this glorious 4 day weekend, are also stuck somewhere between wallowing in unbelievably beautiful weather and the long to do list. The radio has been playing an interesting lineup of folk and work songs, back drop to my focus on self-elected chores on the homefront.
Oh I did push myself up the road on Friday to explore a different village and waterfront, and check out the windjammer festival in Camden. Today I'm insisting on finding a local beach I've been meaning to check out. But laregly, I've been happily chipping away at home improvements. I seem to have this door theme going on. (witness the photos from my last blog) I'm sure there's something metaphoric there, and I doubt it takes a rocket scientist to feel the current. Anyway, this weekend's project has been stripping, sanding, and painting old doors. Most of the doors in the downstairs had been removed and stored in the shed. I've decided to revive some of them, and rehang them. First, to offer some climate control options in the colder months ahead. Also, just to enjoy their beauty. They are all very old, very heavy solid wood doors with umpteen coats of paint. Several have the old glass doorknobs, reminiscent of my mother's house, and invitation in themselves to bring them back. Part of this journey will be seeking old hardware to complete the restoration.
Work. Hard work. Good work. I love days that in the end feel.........productive. I am lucky to have both employed and unemployed work that generates that feeling. I can't imagine not liking the work that one does.....or not being able to find projects that are fulfilling. But I am reminded that I am not one of the 10% of Americans that are out of work. And I've seldom had to to work, and never for long, at jobs that I didn't really like. I can't imagine what it does to the spirit to get nothing from one's work but a paycheck.
Some jobs - like stripping and painting old doors - take more time and energy than makes economic sense. That's sad. So culturally, we often end up replacing old well built things with slapped together, hollow, cheesy, new versions. Usually something that will not last, but will last long enough to serve our fleeting purposes and lifestyles. I'm sure my doors are original -meaning about 150 years old. What do we make today that will be around 150 years from now? Our cost /benefit ratio is completely skewed toward a more temporal way of thinking and living. What can we crank out in the least amount of man hours? But we also find that some things that need being done are also just too expensive to happen - unless you can do things yourself........AND have the time. Building fences, mowing the lawn, replacing windows, knitting a sweater, growing our own food. So either you have to make a lot of money, have a large extended family to co-op chores, or learn to live more simply. A lot more simply.
Thousands, maybe millions, of Americans are being forced to do just that. Some side effects of the economic downturn are of course positive. Without the support of jobs and benefits, people just have to become more efficient, creative, and entrepreneurial. Maine is chuck full of people doing just that. Artists, artisans, craftspeople, and small business owners. They do more of their own work at home, and share the chores of neighborhoods and communities. They gather to argue and debate the perils and possibilities of change and progress, and what that all means anyway.
And so this Labor Day, I ponder the work of striving to live more simply. To each day cherish the work of one's own hands, and the play of sharing simple pleasures with those working around us. Happy Labor Day.