On your feet...Salute!

Got up at 6:00 AM and it was 10 o'clock by the time I was finally able to sit down. Yup, four hours on my feet. Wow! And my lower back is now stiff and aching, as are my legs and feet. Did I not sit down in that span of time? Probably a total of five minutes, in spurts.

I prepared tortang talong (eggplant omelet) and never thought to do anything sitting down. It was so much easier to move about and do what needs doing while standing up. If I sit, I'd have to push the chair away to get up or pull the seat in when I sit. Minor inconveniences, I know, but it was more practical given I was doing several tasks at the same time.

On the positive side, maybe I got in enough exercise just moving about. I did sweat a lot and since I worked outside, I got my dose of Vitamin D (the sun was right on my face before it finally disappeared among the clouds and rain fell).

Multi-tasking

Between grilling the eggplants, chopping carrots, potatoes, and onions to mix with the eggplant, and cooking probably took all of two hours total. In between, there were other chores that needed to be done, including hanging the laundry out to dry while the sun was out, and though mundane tasks still needed to be taken cared of.

I could have gotten a reprieve had I sat down to eat, but instead I opted to eat standing as I watched over the omelets cooking. Very bad habit, I know, and one I rarely do. But I wanted it over and done with, ready to be eaten by whomever.

So between all those tasks, I was up on my feet for several hours and now my legs are super tired.

Standing jobs

Which made me think of all those people whose occupations or jobs required them to be on their feet for very long stretches of time. Hospital workers, particularly nurses, factory workers, sales clerks, dishwashers, traffic enforcers, and street sweepers come to mind.

I guess it wouldn't be as tedious if a lot of moving around was involved. I'm thinking I could walk for two hours or more and my lower extremities might not feel as stiff as they do now. But just standing up for several hours straight can be a killer!

Even then I was walking here and there, although very short distances, but since it involved a lot of just standing up, that's when fatigue kicked in. (Maybe it had to do with age, too? *boink*)

Imagine someone working in a bakery, kneading tons of dough to be made into bread. Kneading is already back-breaking work, then couple that with standing in just one place. Of course, the baker can move about in the limited workspace, but soreness and stiffness will naturally set in when a body part is in one position for an extended period.

Menial work, small pay

Yes, the body adapts when doing the same thing over and over again, day in day out. So over time, the legs get used to the prolonged standing but I have no doubt it will still hurt or feel sore after several hours.

The sad part is that most of these people are only paid minimum wage. Some would probably just be contractual workers, not regular employees, so they have limited or no benefits and would likely be daily wage earners which means no work, no pay.

So why wouldn't they aspire for better jobs, ones that won't beat their bodies on a daily basis and pay better?

Would I mind working such jobs? As long as it's decent work and will be worth my while, why not? Besides, if I really needed a job because I was at the end of my rope and have bills to pay, what would be so bad taking on such kind of work.

And if there's anything I've learned over time when it comes to work, it's always best to give it my 100 percent, however menial or mundane the tasks I need to perform. I owe it to myself and whoever I am working for to give my best.

Learning on the job

At the same time, I take the opportunity to learn as much as I can about the business and all its aspects so I can step in to help when necessary.

I remember a conversation with my nephew who was getting ready for OJT in senior high. He said one of the guidelines to participant-employers was that they shouldn't be given menial tasks like making coffee, or photocopying because it wasn't going to add to their experience.

That had my eyebrows shooting to the roof. Apparently, schools don't see any value in performing menial tasks to require that it be stricken off the list of things a trainee can be asked to do.

I beg to disagree. By making and serving coffee to bosses, you can learn so many things, whether about the business, industry, or life in general. It's a matter of showing curiosity and interest and a little knowledge. You can actually progress from making coffee or doing messengerial work if you show initiative, resourcefulness, and willingness to learn.

Besides, it's always a humbling and enriching experience to work from the bottom and make your way to the top. Aside from having a grasp of all that goes on in a business, it gives you authority to ask an underling to do something, however menial, because you yourself can do that job. In other words, never ask someone to do something you yourself cannot do, unless it is something highly specialized or technical.

So, let me just take my hat off to every individual working a job that has them on their feet the whole day or most of the day, and say I am in awe of you. Just continue to strive to improve your circumstance and by God's grace something better will come along.

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