A Labor of Love

Posted on by Sarah A. Hoyt

Labor day is one of those holidays that never made any sense to me. “Let’s celebrate people who work” makes about as much sense as “Yay for everyone who draws breath!” or perhaps more accurately “let’s hear it for people who have two thumbs.”

Sure, there are people who don’t work, but just like people who don’t have two thumbs they are vanishingly rare. And to a great extent equally unfortunate. Because humans were made to strive, and lack of strife makes us impaired and handicapped, just like people lacking one or both thumbs are impaired and handicapped. Both sets can rise above the handicap and live normal lives, but it’s an extra block on their way.

But of course, I’m not stupid, and I know that “labor” in the sense of the early 20th century doesn’t mean merely work. It means “work that might fall under collective action of organized labor.” All over the rest of the world, labor day was May 1st and dear Lord, in the seventies, during the cold war, it was the gamboling day of commies and other enemies of mankind.

Mayday was ripe for bombings, “mostly peaceful” demonstrations, etc. And in countries suffering from mental illness, like Portugal, the one TV channel that ran during the day was entirely turned over to USSR parades of troops before stands draped in red crap and flying red flags.

In the US, and frankly in saner parts of the rest of the world, people will use labor day to remind us that all work has dignity and all work deserves to be respected.

Mostly people seem to emphasize manual, dirty-jobs type of work, because, well, people tend to assume that’s the work that’s less valued.

To an extent they’re not wrong, though we’re on a cusp of change on that. It used to be when I was a kid, in pre-history, er…. I mean the mid 20th century, and until about ten years ago, everyone assumed if you had the brains you went to college, and jobs that wouldn’t require a college degree — yes, those existed. Why, you used to be able to be a retail manager or serve people fries without a degree. Crazy, I know — were for “stupid people” and had no attention or honor.

Therefore Labor day should recognize these unsung heroes of work!

We’re now at a sort of cusp. Everybody knows the money, the glory, frankly the ability for anyone to make enough money will young, is in skilled manual labor.

This is no longer working exactly as advertised. These manual jobs, which were always physically hard, are becoming hard to get, or to get reputable ones. And the glut of people applying means the pay is down. And–

But none of that matters. What matters is that regardless of what “Labor” is being celebrated by whatever society, work matters to humans.

Work might be necessary to humans. Regardless of what work is, or what work is prized by the society you live in.

Work gives shape to our days. Work allows us to live on our own as adults. If we’re working we are probably doing something needed, something others will pay for. And all work has its own dignity. Whether what you’re doing is a dirty job or a clean one, a desk job in a cube farm or a creative writing job at your comfy chair (she says.)

I say this as someone who spends a large part of her time defeating the idea that her job is utterly useless, since it’s work for leisure and not for necessities. I mean no one ever died for lack of a good novel, or even a blog post.

But the truth is that people don’t live only for the bare necessities, and there were definitely days, or months (sometimes years) that books kept me this side of the sod. And sometimes a blog post made me see everything differently and better.

So all work, so long as someone is willing to pay for it at least, is important and has dignity.

And yeah, even if you’re just doing it because you need to eat and have a roof over your head, it still has dignity, because you’re looking out for yourself, and avoiding being a responsibility for others.

Not everyone can have a glamorous career, whatever a glamorous career means now. Most people just have jobs.

And “just jobs” is enough.

Of course the prize is jobs you love. Labors of love.

But if you can’t do what you love, it’s sometimes enough to love what you do. And sometimes you can learn to love it, by thinking of all the things you love that are enabled by the (however irksome) work.

So go love and labor, and labor for love.

Working is part of being human, and it’s necessary to help us stay human.

89 thoughts on “A Labor of Love”

  3. I mean no one ever died for lack of a good novel, or even a blog post

    I would dispute that, Sarah. There have been days in the past where this place has been the only thing standing between me and the black dog’s victory. Leisure? Perhaps. But joy and community are as essential as food, in some ways.

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    1. “There have been days in the past where this place has been the only thing standing between me and the black dog’s victory. ” Seriously, I called this place my white-pilled dispensary in my donation for a reason.

      Liked by 2 people

        1. *singing* “One pill makes you smarter, and one pill makes you dumb, and the ones Big Pharma gives you does nothing but makes you numb. Go ask Sarah, because the ones she gives you are fun!”

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        2. *singing* “One pill makes you smarter, and one pill makes you dumb, and the ones Big Pharma gives you does nothing but makes you numb. Go ask Sarah, because the ones she gives you are fun!”

          Liked by 1 person

    2. Yeah, there have been several people who lived because they had a good story in their lives and they wanted to know how it ended. And by the same argument, there have been many people who died (by their own hand, or their own negligence) for want of a good story.

      I think I discussed this somewhere else recently in more depth. Suffice to say, stories are VERY important.

      Liked by 1 person

    4. I’ve told people many times that a book by LMB saved my life when I was younger. I think the Huns community has helped keep it that way as I’m older.

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  4. Having work to do is a blessing and a curse. A curse, because some work is hard, physically and mentally, or one of them. And it can feel as if you sell your soul in exchange for pelf, pelf to feed family and keep them clad and sheltered.

    But work is a blessing, because you can (sometimes) see something grow, see a new idea or story or widgit emerge from chaos (or the scrap wood bin) and say “I made this.” And you earned your bread, rather than depending on someone to graciously drop you a crumb so that they feel proud of having so graciously given largess.

    Now, your work might be telling a story, caring for a child, cheering on those who do physical labor and encouraging them, making the path smoother for someone with more skills, what-have-you. Your Vocation might be different from how you pay the rent. But it is a blessing, for you, for someone else, for the world.

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  5. I wanted to be working in an environment I love. Trust me, no one gets rich working in forestry, not even small landowners doing their own forestry (large landowners, sure, maybe, but they hire foresters, they are generally not foresters). When I couldn’t do that figured I’d do what was easy (accounting is easy), if generally boring (could be interesting in a “find the pattern” investigations). Got lucky and stumbled onto programming/design, which while can be boringly repetitive, is always “find the pattern” fun (I’m weird, deal).

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  6. I’ve worked so many different jobs that the idea of “a job I love” just generates the same kind of static as “what is your dream relationship?”. But after my involuntary bouts of minimal labor and bad labor, having good labor is so very valuable.

    I just wish that the people currently in charge of that labor weren’t the tiniest little tyrants out there.

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    1. I think I remember that you were in (or had the education/desire to be in) technical writing… I know of a company that hires tech writers and tech-adjacent writers and is a very good company to work for — I’ve known a lot of people who’ve worked there over the years, and even the people who disliked it and left did so for reasons that don’t speak ill of the way the company treats its people as a whole. Doesn’t hire a ton of writers (it’s very engineering-focused), and location might be an issue depending on where you live, but could maybe be worth keeping an eye on. https://selinc.com/

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  7. Pretty much ALL of my jobs have been “in the background.” Nothing for fame, nor huge piles of money (dangit), nor influence or power. One fellow once suggested that ‘we’ of that particular job were ‘elves’…no, not the “fair folk”…but like the story of the shoemaker… quietly doing the things nobody sees to keep one tiny part of the world running as it is expected to run. And, in that sense, yes. The closest to ‘recognition’ we ever got was to be classified as “essential workers” in the Great Covidiocy. All we did was all we ever did: keep on keeping on, despite insanity around us. No, we were and are NOT heroes. Just your “average Joe”… plugging along, sometimes by inertia. Sometimes by spite. Sometimes by sheer cussed stubbornness. And… more luck than anyone cares to admit. No, we are NOT special. Merely essential. There is a difference.

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    1. 90+% of us are “Sons of Martha”. And I for one am content with that, since, unlike most of the “work” done by the Sons of Mary, we keep civilization going. That’s fine with me.

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        1. Oy…

          OK; point taken, although both are apparently now badthink.👀

          FWIW, I don’t generally argue with Kipling’s chosen language.😉

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    2. Same. But don’t sell yourself short.

      I work in food manufacturing. The entire world will experience massive chaos after a few days worth of missed meals. Against that, I hold the line.

      Anything that people choose to spend their hard earned coin on has value.

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    3. The brownies and other household sprites were indeed Fair Folk, though less inclined to spite. (They could get nasty on occasion.)

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  8. Counterprogramming:

    Free Markets Day

    Make a major purchase.

    Go shopping for optional.

    Invest additional funds in something new. Reap returns from prior years.

    Take a vacation from all your other hard work.

    Gain. Grow. Grab. Goof off.

    Because Freedom

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  9. Work is life. At least, it’s necessary for life. Growing, harvesting, processing and transporting food is work, and if somebody doesn’t do that work everybody starves. Every single thing we have that can’t be found lying around in a primeval forest is because somebody worked to make it. Often a whole lot of somebodies — who can build a 747, or a 200 KW turbine generator, all by themselves?

    But the Leftroids hate productive work. They punish people for working (taxes) while rewarding those that sit on their dead asses. They do value busywork that doesn’t actually produce anything (‘think tanks’, ‘community organizing’, academic navel-gazing, ‘fundraising’, propagation of media propaganda). Real work should be something shameful, to be done in secret and never admitted to.

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    1. I used the story of the man I met in Charleston a few years ago for devotions. I met him sweeping the drive at a posh hotel in downtown Charleston. He approached me because I was wearing a cross. He told me he’d taken the sweeping job (yes, he was black) as a way to “get in,” and was hoping to work his way up to something better. And he told me, a white woman he had never met, and probably will never see again, how his entire family was giving him hell for it. They were all on welfare; why wasn’t he? I suspect there was an element of, “Why are you making the rest of us look bad?”

      And he wanted to take care of his mom, and they were all furious with him about that, too. He’d had to tell somebody, and I was the somebody he chose.

      An I was only there because I had auditioned for Jeopardy, after we had driven to Alaska and back, so I came from Alaska to meet him. In a city we would never have come to without that audition, on that day, at that time.

      I’m still praying for that man. I hope he succeeded.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Hopefully he succeeded.

        Unfortunately, if he did, then he probably has his family members bugging him for money/financial assistance 24/7. But everything has trade-offs.

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  10. In one of my books (set in Victorian times) a middle-class lady formerly living a life of some privilege was offered an escape from a dire situation which involved a paying job. When she hesitated at “working” the working-class girl who had befriended her said flatly, “Work is worship!” Didn’t matter if it was digging a ditch or cooking a meal, she told her hesitant friend: make it the most perfect ditch ever dug, and cook the meal as if the Queen herself was coming to dine. Work is worship.

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    1. @ CeliaHayes > “make it the most perfect ditch ever dug”

      Dorothy L. Sayers makes the same point in one of her Christian apologetics books, although I don’t now remember which one. IMO, one of the reasons her murder mysteries are so satisfying is that she had such a rich background in literature (translator of Dante’s Divine Comedy for example) and Christian theology (she and C. S. Lewis would trade first drafts, book reviews and discuss both subjects passionately).

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      1. I think it’s “Busman’s Honeymoon,” where Peter and Harriet each justify the other’s work: Peter by saying people need stories where justice is served and good triumphs and Harriet by reminding him that his “hobby” has saved lives…including hers.

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    4. I have read a Gilded Era American lady forthrightly state that impoverished upper-class people should accept it and go to work and stop regarding themselves as the social equals of their former friends.

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    1. *snicker*

      Reminds me of how the Chevy Nova originally was a bit of a dud in Spanish speaking countries – rough translation of No va – “Doesn’t go.”

      In my household, we refer to Kamala as Kama-walla-bang-bang.

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    2. And it warms me that the battleship named for my beloved home state was the place where Japan signed the instrument of surrender that we commemorate today. It warms me even more that Missouri now rests as a museum ship, moored next to the memorial to the battleship named for my current state of residence.

      I can just imagine Missouri telling Arizona to rest easy, and that we got payback in spades.

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        1. We made a monument out of Yamato. Also Musashi, Akagi, Kaga, Sōryū, and Hiryū, Shokaku, Zuikaku….

          Bit hard to visit them currently.

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          1. Sunken, yes. Memorials? Nope. Or if so, only dead monuments to misguided ambition, that no one would even want to visit. Thousands visit the Arizona and Missouri every year.

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            1. When the Reader was at the Arizona Memorial and 2008 and 2015, there were a significant number of Japanese in those crowds.

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              1. No surprise; from what I’ve read of the current Japanese culture they know their former government made the worst mistake they could in attacking the US. Yamamoto knew it on 7 Dec 41, but it took total defeat to get the point through to them in general. Plus, I’ve read that atonement for past wrongs done by their nation is an integral part of the culture, and I’d assume that visiting the hard evidence of those wrongs would be a large part of that atonement.

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                1. One of the locations the group I was with last Wednesday visited the Maritime Museum in Astoria. A display that is there is the signed captured good luck Japanese flags of individuals killed. Now that the WW2 soldiers are dying, or/and the WW2 mementos have passed through a few generations, families want to know what to do with them. Astoria is a collection site for a Obon Society repatriating them back to the villages, and if possible, the families of the Japanese who died. Often this is the only tangent evidence of what happened to them. The museum has a collection displayed. The flags are do not belong to the museum, but are on loan until the Obon society can determine where the individual flags should be returned.

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  13. Obligatory:

    The Sons of Mary seldom bother, for they have inherited that good part;But the Sons of Martha favour their Mother of the careful soul and troubled heart.And because she lost her temper once, and because she was rude to the Lord her Guest,Her Sons must wait upon Mary’s Sons, world without end, reprieve, or rest.It is their care in all the ages to take the buffet and cushion the shock.It is their care that the gear engages; it is their care that the switches lock.It is their care that the wheels run truly; it is their care to embark and entrain,Tally, transport, and deliver duly the Sons of Mary by land and main.They say to mountains, “Be ye removed.” They say to the lesser floods, “Be dry.”Under their rods are the rocks reproved — they are not afraid of that which is high.Then do the hill-tops shake to the summit — then is the bed of the deep laid bare,That the Sons of Mary may overcome it, pleasantly sleeping and unaware.They finger death at their gloves’ end where they piece and repiece the living wires.He rears against the gates they tend: they feed him hungry behind their fires.Early at dawn, ere men see clear, they stumble into his terrible stall,And hale him forth like a haltered steer, and goad and turn him till evenfall.To these from birth is Belief forbidden; from these till death is Relief afar.They are concerned with matter hidden — under the earthline their altars are;The secret fountains to follow up, waters withdrawn to restore to the mouth,And gather the floods as in a cup, and pour them again at a city drouth.They do not preach that their God will rouse them a little before the nuts work loose.They do not teach that His Pity allows them to drop their job when they damn-well choose.As in the thronged and the lighted ways, so in the dark and the desert they stand.Wary and watchful all their days that their brethren’s days may be long in the land.Raise ye the stone or cleave the wood to make a path more fair or flat;Lo, it is black already with blood some Son of Martha spilled for that!Not as a ladder from earth to Heaven, not as a witness to any creed,But simple service simply given to his own kind in their common need.And the Sons of Mary smile and are blessed — they know the angels are on their side.They know in them is the Grace confessed, and for them are the Mercies multiplied.They sit at the Feet — they hear the Word — they see how truly the Promise Runs:They have cast their burden upon the Lord, and — the Lord He lays it on Martha’s Sons.

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    1. Remember that in the end, it was Martha who believed, who declared “Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.”

      Mary may have listened, but Martha believed and publicly declared her belief.

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  14. Am pondering Saint Augustine who had a bit of trouble with Genesis because, you see, he was a hobby gardener. He drew the distinction between drudgery — unpleasant work that has to be done — and work that is not a burden.

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  16. It’s the “luxuries” such as novels and these day blog posts that often make the work life tolerable.

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  17. I mean no one ever died for lack of a good novel, or even a blog post.

    Although a few have risked severe injuries by interrupting me reading a good novel…

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    2. I’ve had countless people in depression support groups and other conversations about the Black Dog say they’ve struggled with suicidal thoughts and often talked themselves down by wanting to see how their favorite stories end. “I can’t kill myself yet, I have to finish the Harry Potter series.” “I don’t want to die until the LOTR films are finished, I have to see how they do the Rohirrim.” It sounds silly to someone who’s never struggled with suicidal thoughts but it works.

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      1. I think that sort of thing works for the counterpoint temptation, too. It’s both the practicality and the subtle humor of the thing (being able to laugh at oneself – in genuine humor, not cruelty – is extremely important for mental health).

        “I can’t murder anyone today, that would tank my GPA. Besides, strangling people is rude.”

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        1. Chesterton had “A Ballade of Suicide” with the line “I think I will not hang myself today.” And Dorothy Parker had the more succinct “Resume” with “Razors pain you, /Rivers are damp….”

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  19. I have been blessed in having a job that is occasionally interesting. Truth be told, i often find it enthralling. Thank God for focused autism.

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  20. @ Sarah > “So all work, so long as someone is willing to pay for it at least, is important and has dignity.”

    Implicit in your post, and many others written over the years, is that sometimes (many times?) the most rewarding work is something no one is willing to directly pay for, but has an intrinsic value not measured in money.

    Ask any “full-time professional” mother / father.

    However, given that most people associate “Labor Day” with paid employment, it’s fitting that we get a break from that endeavor and replace it with more work at home, or with vacations that can be very labor-intensive.

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    1. I fudged it somewhat because yes, being a mother or father is work, and it is arguably the most important work.
      But the thing is, while not directly paid, it is paid. If you’re a full time father or mother, someone is paying for your livelihood. And if you’re not, you’re still being “paid” just not in money. I’d compare being a parent to taking the hardest course you’ll ever take. You’re not paid, in fact you pay for it, but what you learn is invaluable and you can’t get it any other way.

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  21. I was/am lucky in that I usually really liked the jobs and work I was involved in. Toward the end of daily working I actually had a dream job for a bit. The first couple of years were wonderful and then the world turned. I put in eight years and the last two were not “fun” but I still accomplished things to be professionally proud of and when I retired and walked out for the last time it was good. When I left, in truth the job left me and I just filed paperwork and went home to stay.

    My “new” job is now retirement and boy, is it busy!

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    1. Anti-semitism seems to be popping up all over the place, unfortunately. The left is definitely open about it. But I’m also starting to see it over in seemingly random posts on X.

      Very troubling.

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      1. It has gone mainstream. I find it almost creepy how so many preface their hatred of Jews with “I’m not antisemitic, but” or the equivalent.

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        3. Those arrested today at Columbia University anti-Israel protest should be given two choices by a judge:

          (1.) Give up US passports and citizenship and one way trip to Palestine or Gaza, with what you have on you.

          OR

          (2.) Ten years in maximum.

          Okay. Maybe a third.

          (3.) Required tour of every single atrocity discovered in WW2 that was done to those of Jewish decent, other minorities, and others deemed undesirable by those in power. A tour of how Russia and China deal with their dissidents. With a sign they must wear stating “This is what I am advocating for! I am promoting genocide!”

          Pick now.

          Not like we can pack them off to an undesirable space colony, or any colony.

          You are correct. I am not feeling very generous. I am also sure I am not being creative enough.

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  23. I’m currently unemployed, wishing the left would stop strangling the economy, and wondering if the modern world is designed to drive everyone crazy or just me because of the autism.

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    1. At the moment, I’m hoping that the end of August had people on vacation so the job market here had a slow couple of weeks.

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  24. work becomes so much more to some of us, as a tradesman it does come down to $. But finally after being in the trades for close to 40 years i get paid well and get to work on stuff that people look at and say “awesome” have found that being among the best, building the best is truly the pinnacle, it enforces the desires for teamwork and mutual respect, have bounced a bit, and not all building is created equal, theres a reason contractors with solid guys get paid a premium. Luckily the higher the$ the less the clientele is affected by the economy.

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    2. None of the downturns have affected Marathon Coaches in Coburg OR, not even a little bit. Not even covid shutdowns.

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  25. Ah, a note to all who may be prepping. If you are, you may have already run across the CISA-FBI partnership called Operation Flashpoint that got started back in 2021.

    …Well I can confirm they’re now pushing it again in hardware stores in the Southeast. So obviously someone thinks this fall is going to be… interesting.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Republicans dig in their heels whenever the Democrats want to embiggen the governnment but then when they’re in charge, they expand the government in their own noble (read: stupid) way — completely forgetting that Democrat “progressives” WILL turn it against Republicans and the rest of America the second they get their evil Marxist mitts on it. CISA went from “created for a specific, useful purpose” to “political weapon” in record time.

      I wonder if Trump has learned his lesson. I doubt it, but after what he’s been through the past couple-three years, if any Republican is likely to see that folly right now, it would be him.

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      1. They turn anything the Republicans do to their own ends.

        Of course, they also turn the issues when people don’t do anything to stop an obvious issue into a power grab to their own ends.

        That’s because bad people use whatever situation is at hand to get what they want.

        Same way that good people have to deal with what is and try to aim for justice, instead of “But this hurts other people!”

        They’ve been pushing really hard that anyone who tries to actually fix a situation is guilty of everything that happens thereafter, so refusing to act is the only option.

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        1. I do feel that making politicians directly and personally responsible for the foreseeable consequences of their actions might be an option. If it meant they refused to act, so be it.

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  26. From the people I’ve known, or heard of, whose jobs were hard on them, I’ve come to realize how very fortunate I am to have work that I enjoy doing and that gives me a sense of accomplishment. I’m well past customary retirement age, but being self-employed, I don’t face any pressure to retire, and I hope not to do so for many years yet.

    Though I also have to say that my real work seems to be roleplaying games: running them for multiple groups of players, and writing for them, which provides about a fifth of my earned income—a hobby that more than pays for itself. But even if my writing ceased to be in demand I would still want to go on game mastering, and occasionally playing. There’s an artistic aspect to it akin in some ways to that of writing fiction.

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  27. Sarah, a good post, as so many of yours are.

    Do you, or any of the Huns, have a short succinct summary of what it means to be a USAIAN that could be used to explain it to others? For some reason while I grasp the concept for myself, I’m not sure how to express it to those who have not read your books or your blog.

    I suspect that if I finished reading the Darkship Thieves series I might be able to formulate it for myself but I thought it could not hurt to ask the source.  ;-)  Thank you!

    Also this:

    My son is reading the comments even as I type. He would like me to add that sometimes the important thing isn’t so much that you like your job, as that you derive great satisfaction from being able to do that job competently and efficiently even if you don’t particularly like it.  (Yes, he has been there and done that.)  ;-)

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    1. We believe that G-d or fate or something conspired to create the US and particularly its constitution and declaration of independence, and that should the US fall it will rise again, so long as we keep those safe and known.
      That’s the short version.

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    3. Nothing could be simpler. Read the Preamble and Bill Of Rights of the United States Constitution. Those express the intent and purpose behind the Constitution; the Articles and their subclauses simply lay out the nuts and bolts of how it’s implemented. We have discovered a few…deficiencies in that implementation, which have been exploited by unscrupulous politicians and bureaucrats over the last 200 years. Their abuses have compounded, developed and festered until we’re where we are today. They have done things the Founders weren’t evil enough to envision, so they failed to guard against them.

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      2. “the Founders weren’t evil enough to envision, so they failed to guard against them.”

        ………….

        Founders weren’t sufficiently evil enough to envision how future “unscrupulous politicians and bureaucrats” would work around concepts and articles that are perfectly clear. Or maybe they had an idea:

        Monday, September 17, 1787

        Benjamin Franklin’s response to Elizabeth Willing Powel’s question: “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?”

        …. “A republic, if you can keep it.”

        ……………

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