Harvest, 2012 in the Sinn Family wheat fields

"There is no substitute for hard work.” – Thomas Edison

I come from a long line of hard working people who sweat a lot and what better time to celebrate that than the week of the Summer Solstice? The longest, hottest (at least this year) day of the year – come on, everybody! Let’s go work outside!

My kin on both sides have been farmers and ranchers out West for generations. That means lots of outdoor time, lots of time in the sun and lots of sweat. We are not like you Southerners who become “dewy” as the temperatures rise. Oh, no – we sweat so profusely we need to carry bandannas to mop our faces and (at least before wicking material was invented) our clothes and hats were soaked and salt-stained by mid-morning.

Imagine how unlady-like someone of that constitution feels here in the South, from mid-June until early October…”Bloom where you’re planted” takes on a whole new meaning for me this time of year. If I had a dollar for every time some well-meaning, concerned Southerner asked me if I was okay over the years (my face gets so red when I’m hot I look like I'm about to have a heat stroke), well, I could’ve sent myself on a vacation or two somewhere chilly by now.  

But. it’s not all on the down side with sweat; sweat has a very noble meaning. It means you’re working hard. It means you’re getting things done. It means you’ll soon have something to show for your efforts. And, that’s why I don’t mind sweating a lot when I’m doing hard work. It gives me a sense of accomplishment.

I also really love when the work is done and it's time to go into the cold A/C. I often wonder what life here in the South was like before air conditioning. Frankly, I can't imagine it. People had to be tougher; they definitely moved slower and I bet they didn't get as much done on a hot day as we do...But wait a minute, that's not true. People back then did get a lot done all summer long. I bet most of them could out work most of us on a blistering hot, thickly humid July day. As much as I hate to admit it, I believe air conditioning softens us. It makes us too comfortable. It takes some of our drive and a lot of our interest in going outside away.

My dad worked a wheat farm in the summers when I was growing up. His early tractors didn't have cabs, let alone A/C, so there he was, day after day, all summer long, in the dust and the wind and the heat, sweating like a cold glass of ice tea on a very hot day. I remember thinking he looked miserable and I remember thinking what a strong and

determined man he must be, to go do that every day. I admired him for that.

One of my fondest memories of him is the sight of his dust-crusted face, sweat streams still running down his cheeks, stepping off that tractor when the sun finally set. He looked tired, but he also looked content and almost triumphant – like he'd beat the elements and really accomplished something that day.

Maybe because of those memories (or maybe out of temporary insanity) I worked as a house painter for awhile and that included exterior work in the Southern summer. One of the guys in the trade told me the secret to surviving the heat was to never get cool – at least not ‘til the day was done. He was right. Once you get in the rhythm of working hard, sweating hard and drinking water as you go, you can last all day. But, go into a restaurant where the A/C is cranked down to 70 for lunch? You’re a goner – hesitant to go back out into the heat and resentful of the oven it is for the rest of the day.

I am still proud of the work I did as a house painter. For a long time, I could drive by my work (houses I had literally poured a little blood, a lot of sweat and a few tears into) and re-experience the pride of that accomplishment. Working at a desk, in an air conditioned office never seems to feel that way...   

These days I garden and work in the yard when it's time to sweat. And, doing so puts me back in touch with my roots and what really matters, which sometimes is simply putting in a good long, red-faced day of sweaty hard work.