this summer was so great for Adam! he had his first real job that involved hard work, commitment, endurance and good old fashioned "stick-to-it-ness". Adam hit the corn fields head on. corn detasseling row after row after row. and just a few more rows on top of that! for three weeks (with only two days off) he woke early to be at the bus pickup location at 6:45, with his prepared lunch cooler containing his many calories and fluids, and he slugged it out. crazy enough, his first day happened to be the day a heat warning was issued in our area, and for the duration of the corn season there were many more brutally hot days to follow. i was so impressed with his attitude. i don't brag a lot here about my kids, and i think i'm pretty realistic in life about their strengths and weaknesses, but this did kind of blow me away. i really do want to look back on this summer, and i want him to be able to do the same...when i picked him up each day he was pretty quiet, kind of tired, but never really complaining or moaning about the job~ just answering my questions and happy to be in the a/c of the vehicle, i think. i'm certain i complained more for him than he did for himself. he'd tell me how many acres of corn the crew covered, how many kids quit or were fired that day, and that was about it. he'd often get home and swim in the pool, and then be refreshed to go right back out to bike with friends or go here or there, never tucking in early, never wanting to miss anything fun.
all the while, he had a plan. he knew if he had perfect attendance there was an extra dollar per hour added to his wage. he also knew he'd likely finish with enough to save a nice chunk as well as buy a new mountain bike. so, his down time also allowed him to sit at the computer and research the brand and model of mountain bike he'd eventually settle on. he logged 114 hours total, and he got the bonus as well. that's a lot of corn rows...
about ten days after the job was finished his pay cheque arrived in the mail. talk about delayed gratification~ another valuable life lesson! that was about as excited as i'd seen him so far. Adam's "excited" look is about as toned down and mellow as you can ever get. a bit like Jeff in that way too. he feels it kinda deep down! :) so, we made a fun trip to the bank, and i teased him that we had better leave discreetly because of the giant wad of cash he held in a brown envelope in his pocket. i acted as his security, and we made a dash to the car...not actually though...
well, today he and his dad picked up his brand new Trek 2017 matte black mountain bike (which, coincidentally, he helped assemble during his first day working at the local bike shop). he's pretty happy with it, and we are happy for him! more than that, i love what this summer has accomplished. it has reinforced our family motto of "do hard things", as well as the importance of honouring commitments with a strong work ethic~ right through to completion. nothing like enjoying the results in the end!
when asked if he plans to hit next year's corn season, it's a pretty quick "no" with a shake of his head. can't say i blame him. once is probably enough. but so thankful it happened this summer and proud of him too.
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