Work; a Burden or a Blessing

Work- a Burden or a Blessing? Imagine if you could plan your perfect day and have everything fall directly into place. What activities, people, or events would you include? While in my junior year of high school my perfect day was planned. It was going to be on Memorial Day, the day every student looks forward to in California. It’s the first official beach day of the summer and that year it was going to be the best. Summer had come early and it was hot, breaking all previous years high temperatures. My friends, including a girl that I had the biggest crush on, were all counting on me to go with them to the beach. I had been working out all year, had bought my new board shorts, and was super excited. It all seemed too good to be true, I was right. My dad decided that it was time to repaint the backyard fence. I remember him telling me the day before and having my stomach drop to the floor. I was thinking to myself, “No beach and I have to work?” I then felt extremely embarrassed to tell my friends that I couldn’t go to the beach because I had to “work,” and paint the fence. At the end of the day I was sad to miss out on such a good beach day but I came to realize that there were plenty of summer days left. That afternoon after painting the fence I was able to have a BBQ with my family and admire the hard work we had put forth that day. That day truly taught me how rewarding and gratifying work can be. For me, work and I have always had a love/hate relationship. My parents have always been a promoter of hard work. They told me if I wanted a new skateboard or money to go out to the movie on a Friday night, I needed to get a job and work to save up the money myself. I will never forget my 16th birthday because that same day I went to the local grocery store and applied for a part-time job. That decision alone has had a lifetime impact on me and has opened many doors for myself in the work field. It helps to know exactly what work is to be a master of the trade.