Susan Rooks
Jul 21, 2017 · 2 min read

Lots of truths here, David B. Grinberg!

I am old enough to remember “women’s” jobs and “men’s” jobs, but I was lucky to have a dad who just saw jobs. Things that needed to be done, no matter by whom.

We owned a few small women’s clothing stores when I was growing up, with the main store having the stockroom, and although my mom wasn’t thrilled, my dad gave me a job for a couple of summers and school vacations helping the manager keep the stock moving in and out. Wheel huge racks of dresses, slacks, coats around. Tag the individual items. Take a full inventory. Organize everything, and split the merchandise to go to each of the smaller stores. Much more typical work for a boy, but I loved it.

And I learned. I learned how hard it is to really work. I learned not to take things for granted. I learned lessons my dad wanted me to learn, especially that all work and workers deserve respect. I learned to think like a business person, not just as a kid. I learned I like feeling useful. I liked knowing how all that “stuff” got to the stores to be sold. (I still like knowing how things work.)

Your first point says that we need to be humble, and roll up our sleeves and just get to work — and I agree totally. And the earlier we learn those lessons, the easier life will be. I am grateful every day for what I learned in the stockroom so many years ago, thanks to my dad’s wisdom.

)

Susan Rooks

Written by

The Grammar Goddess | Copyeditor | Corporate Educator Cruciverbalist | Happy Woman | Let me find and fix your typos before you publish. | www.GrammarGoddess.com