This is like asking in what ways does oxygen help you breathe.
Hard work is rewarding. Accomplishing tasks makes you feel good, extra good if said tasks were difficult and time consuming.
Working ‘hard’ can be very subjective however. First thing that comes to mind for me when I imagine ‘hard work’ is physical labour. But I know that’s a narrow minded way of imagining it. It’s probably because I grew up on a farm and the work was manual.
When you grow up on a farm, you don’t view the white collar jobs, sitting behind desks or in meetings as hard work. It’s really quite laughable.
But I know the difference now. I’ve done both and each can be toiling. Just in their own ways.
When I was working as a nurse, a twelve hour shift on Acute Psychiatry could be just as draining as hauling grain from dawn til dusk or chasing cows. Mentally exhausting, not physically, but exhausting all the same.
Working hard with few breaks was revered in my family. The summer before I started college I was working two jobs and I worked something like sixty seven days straight without a day off. I imagine it pleased my Dad so. Work work work was drilled into our heads.
There are a lot of things I would change if I could go back in time. When my three older kids were small, working part-time was unheard of. In my mind you worked full-time or else. Working anything less was for slackers. And I wasn’t a slacker. So I always worked full-time. Twelve hour shifts, shift work. All the while managing daycare drop offs and pick ups, making meals, taking kids to activities. I don’t know how I didn’t go insane when I look back. Or why I worked so damn hard! It was foolish.
So I am appreciative of this new concept today that says glamourizing the grind is no longer cool. You hear older people say that nobody wants to work anymore. And maybe to some degree that’s true but I think there is some merit in this new generation’s way of thinking. It is important to be picky and truly like what you do everyday, and take the breaks you need. That’s really not so wrong.
I realize hard work is the backbone of our country and our ancestors worked so hard to get us what we have today but I do feel that old way of thinking can be morphed into even sleeker and better work habits. More efficient work habits.
Some balance. Playing is important, being lazy at times is important, slowing down is optimal for our overall health.
I’ve a really bad head cold and feel like crap this morning. I have blown my nose six thousand times already. I’ve read this over and it sounds like nothing more than rambling. But anyway I’m hitting ‘publish’, I don’t feel like putting in effort this morning or working hard.
bloom.planted.north 
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