Physical Labor

Physical labor:The good parts version;

"While the whole nation around them was going to incredible extremes to avoid such work, they (the Amish) had gone to conscious lengths to preserve it.

Why? There was a phrase they kept repeating: "Many hands make work light." The statement was true, though hard to explain. Gradually, as you applied yourself to your task, the threads of friendship and conversation would grow and connect you to laborers around you. Then everything suddenly became inverted. You'd forget you were working and get caught up in the camaraderie, the sense of lightened effort. This surely must rank among the greatest labor-saving secrets. Work folded into fun and disappeared. Friendship, conversation, exercise, fresh air, all melded together into a single act of mutual self-forgetting."

and

"Physical work, then, served more than one function. Besides putting bread on the table and vigor into the physique, it also provided a special social elixir."

From Better Off by Eric Brende

So that is why it is so much more fun to do the dishes at your friends house. ( I always felt this way when I was a teen) The labor disappears and friendship appears.

The first two things that come to mind are;

This is precisely what occurred with the quilting group I was a part of for many years up north. *Hi Martha...Hi Karen*

I think I will have the kids work in groups more often. For instance,I usually assign one child at a time to do the dishes...it might be nicer for them to work together. They might bicker and fight too...we shall see. I will do my own little experiment. (Don't tell them.) *wink*


I am enjoying Eric Bende's book so far. You know, I have the dream of a farm...this fellow and his new bride are living that dream, Amish-style. The author's positive outlook makes for enjoyable and interesting reading.

Happy Labor Day!

Donna