Labor of Love

Labor Day is always one of those bittersweet holidays for me. On the one hand, it's wonderful to get an extra day away from the office, spend time with friends and family, and hopefully enjoy an extra plate of chicken and red-skin potato salad. On the other hand, there is the part of me that has some angst over the fact that when I walk back in to work, I'll only have four days to get five (plus) days worth of work done. Isn't Labor Day supposed to be a celebration of the worker?

The unfortunate truth is that many folks out there in the working world DON'T like what they do. It's a paycheck. It's a job they took "short-term" and five or ten years later, they are still doing it. And in this turbulent economy, more than a few of my friends have commented to me that their "just happy to have a job and a paycheck right now." And all I can say when I hear that is "I'm sorry. That's really sad."

Don't get me wrong. There are times when I wake up and just wish I could hit the snooze button for, oh, another two DAYS. But on most days, the opportunity to learn and share new things, work with others to develop unique content and programs that help industry profesionals out there in the world of HVACR, and come up with creative ideas that help keep RSES out there as the leading training organization in our trade makes things interesting-and fun.

Look, no one dreams about climbing that 20-foot ladder for the 15th time on a 90-degree day to figure out why a rooftop unit keeps shutting off. And I'm sure that more than a few of you could tell me where to stick it after you share with me a story about working out on ventilator or heat pump when snow and sleet are coming down into your eyes from angles you never thought possible. But I'd also wager that you do enjoy seeing a mother of two thank you for figuring out how to safely and quickly get her furnace back on so that her kids are comfortable. Or feel the honesty behind the handshake of the local grocer who appreciates how you've been able to save him from losing $8,000 worth of merchandise because his compressor died.

When those things happen, it's not a laborious day at all. It's a day that all of us out here can thank HVACR service professionals for the hard work they put in from sunrise to sunset - and oftentimes, much later than that.