The Hope Inside My First Job: A Grandfather’s Tale
A Ray Of Light In The Work Gloam
Are you ready for a yarn, dear reader? Take a seat with me before this digital hearth and let your old pal Kev weave a tale from yesteryear. It starts with my first job, one that taught me valuable lessons about hope.
The Beginning of An Era – Working At The Sawmill
In the burgeoning days of adolescence, I set foot into the adult realm at Paterson’s Sawmill. To say it wasn’t glamorous is like saying water’s wet. But beggars can’t be choosers and in those lean times, Paterson’s offered not just wage but also work discipline and character building.
You Will Find What You Seek For
I saw fellow workers turning bitter — cursing their fate under the relentless droning buzzsaw symphony. On some challenging days, I could feel that creeping cynicism reaching out to take hold even within me.
‘Why was I here?’, losing not just sweat but innocence on this infernal shopfloor? ‘Where was hope to come from?’, seemed an impossible question with an insurmountable answer hiding somewhere inside piles of fresh-sawn logs…
Finding Hope Where Least Expected – Between Tree Rings And Sawdust
An acute lesson emerged amidst all these challenges — hope often glimmers unannounced from less than obvious places… One fine day as we were stacking dried lumber into bundles bound by steel straps called “Fox Calls”, young Tommy asked old man Jethro why such queer calling?
Jethro quipped,”Once upon time when Fox farms were abundant round our parts they’d use wider wooden bands – they’d make perfect decoy calls imitating rabbit cries drawing foxes straight into traps”. So there it stood revealing itself — between ear-splitting buzzsaws and generations-old lore lay our humble opportunity for education unknown before!
Perspective Makes All Difference -> From Misfortune To Fortuned Mentors…!
Cynicism receded as newfound respect sprang forth- thoughtfully analysing every room there would yield stories buried beneath each timber adorning its walls or floorboards lying unseen under hasty soles-thus transforming seemingly doom-laden grumblings from hardened folk buffeted in life’s unforgiving tempests into fortuned mentors patiently awaiting discovery by willing pupils undeterred by initial hardships staring back squarely at them!