cktimes.ca Archives for The Pastoral Lens
The Pastoral Lens
Holiday Pay(n)
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
I had an absolutely wonderful idea for the Canada Day holiday this year. It was one of those "aha" gems that would pay dividends in a number of different ways. With all the rain we have been enduring here in southwestern Ontario, the lawn and weeds have been having a feast, leaving a lot of yardwork to be done in order to get a handle on things. My 5 children would suffice as a built-in work force to tackle the onslaught of overgrown vegetation.My first problem of the day would be to fell the goliath of apathy that had control of my kids. The sun was bright and the thought of pulling weeds on such a beautiful day was not high on their agenda. I tried baiting the hook with promises of swimming in the afternoon, but it was a hard sell. Nevertheless, I mustered the troops together and, armed with shovels, cotton gloves, and empty boxes, we prepared for the assault on the weeds. Each daughter was deployed to a key area of the yard with the boys doing odd jobs at my command. Initially I thought we got off to a good start but then the complaining started. It's too hot. My leg hurts. Alyssa's not working hard. Is it time for a break yet? When are we done? Blah, blah, blah. I was beginning to wonder if this was one of those times that I would have been better off doing this work myself. However, I regained my senses, realizing that I had free labour from 5 kids so any complaining could be tolerated as long as progress was being made. Somehow, in between water breaks and just plain shirking, we managed to get a fair chunk of work done.
I learned a few lessons. First, set a distinct, attainable goal for the work. Second, allow reasonable amounts of time for breaks. Finally, don't expect the moon from a reluctant labour force. I guess the coconut really hit me on the head later in the day when I was picking up a few groceries. A young man in the dairy section greeted me heartily and told me how pumped he was to be working the holiday. The reason? He was getting paid double time and a half! Oh boy, don't tell my kids. If they get wind of the system out there I'll be doing the yard work all by my lonesome. Pool or no pool, money sometimes talks loudest. Gee, what kinds of jobs will need to be done on the Civic holiday this year?
