JOBS

A couple of summers past I took a quick road trip with Mike and Patty. Our destination … Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Falling Water” https://fallingwater.org/ located in Mill Run, PA! It was spontaneous, it was great fun and I am sure that Mike and Patty were thrilled with the idea of touring this treasure. Yes, they could probably talk in detail on the balance between nature/art and architecture. They might have pictures and highlight the best features! But simple me … well I just went along for the fun. My highlights include the roadside motel, a hidden but yummy Italian restaurant - and most of all, the car conversations! At one point we started talking about our jobs, growing up jobs, college jobs, all the points along the way in which we earned money jobs - before our professional careers.

I have always thought we are a hard-working bunch! Sure jobs were once oh-so-important and primarily supported late-night pizzas or trips to Mattie St. Dairy or Carrolls. They supported new sneakers, Cooney’s Closet, golf balls, bike parts, clothing patterns, Columbia Record Club monthly bills, dates, and maybe even a pack of cigarettes and a 6-pack of beer (shhhhhhhhhh…..).

So, what do you think … is work ethic a personality trait? Could it be that our “kind of tied in a knot of love family” share a collective work ethic? I don’t recall Mom and Dad “cracking the whip” to get a job. We were in no way spoiled and yet denied nothing. Dad had this miraculous way of projecting that he had absolute confidence that his kids could do and be anything. Mom taught us to be creative and diligent.

So back to work ethic… “traits like integrity, resilience, good personality, confidence and good work ethic are more inherent in the individual. There is good reason to summarise a person is born with it.” The five characteristics of a good work ethic include:

Reliability and dependability
Dedication
Productive (not a quitter)
Cooperative - Teamwork
Self-Discipline Character

So look at this list of 5, I believe that these traits within the 10 have kept us close as a family. We may be “wired” to be productive but we can depend upon each other, know how to work and play with each other and alone - a family of siblings tied together by love and DNA. AREN’T WE LUCKY!

Take a look at the partial list of our places of employment. (I suspect that more siblings will share with me their lists. )What did we learn from these jobs, what stand-out memories do we have and what questions might we have for siblings? Can you guess who had which job; and can you guess who passed down jobs? I will start you all out with a question:

PATTY: Why did you last “just one week” at the Boys Club of America?

COMPANY / BUSINESS / ORGANIZATION / SELF-EMPLOYED

“The Citizen” (7) https://auburnpub.com/

The Hollywood (3) buser, dishwasher, hostess https://www.hollywoodrestaurant.net/

City of Auburn (4) https://www.auburnny.gov/parks-recreation-department/pages/fields-playgrounds