I’ve always enjoyed working outside far more than doing the chores inside the house. When I was just a child my mother gave me and my brothers regular duties to perform to keep our household in good working order. My brothers had to take out the trash and keep the lawn mowed. My jobs included washing the dishes by hand (we did not have a dishwasher) and helping with the housekeeping chores. My mother taught me early on how to clean a toilet that would pass the white glove test. Somehow whenever I was on bathroom duty I felt a sense of envy that my brothers were outside in the open air taking care of the lawn. It never occurred to me that they were pushing a mower with no engine so that their labor must have been exhausting. I just wanted to be outside rather than being relegated to traditional female chores.
Once I had my own home I literally volunteered to take care of lawn duties. I had a much better lawn mower than my brothers had pushed around and I reveled in being outside. For many years I joined the neighborhood men in Sunday afternoon trimming and edging and weeding. I supposed that my love of such work came from my farming ancestors and my desire to keep my yard looking tip top from week to week.
Eventually I grew older and less energetic so that the joy of giving the lawn a haircut week after week waned to a point that made me dream of cleaning toilets once again. When my trusty lawnmower lost its mojo as well I decided that it was time to hire someone to do the job that had entertained me with joy for so many years.
I often found flyers from individuals offering to take over on the outdoor duties so it was not difficult o find someone to do the job that I had done for so many years. Soon a man named Mario was faithfully beautifying my yard in less than a tenth of the time it had always taken me to complete the task. Amazingly not only was Mario fast but his efforts were far more impressive than mine. Thus I never again considered the idea of purchasing a lawnmower or suggesting that my husband might want to join the other men of the neighborhood in the weekly drill.
Eventually we moved to a new neighborhood and Mario felt that it was too far away from his territory so I had to find a replacement quickly. A friend from work who lived in the same area had glowing praise for a man named Jose and so I forged new relationship with a very talented man.
Jose has kept our lawn looking wonderful week after week since January of 2005. He is reliable and incredibly talented in his work. Whether we are in town or not I know that Jose will trim our lawn so well that I will never receive an angry letter from the HOA. He has had different sidekicks over the years and teamwork makes the job so fast that it is unimaginable. Over time other neighbors in the cul de sac have employed Jose and now he also takes care of my father-in-law’s property.
I listen for the sound of his arrival each Saturday morning and smile when I hear him buzzing away with his string trimmer. He is as masterful as an artistic sculptor with that tool. He can weed a flowerbed in under five minutes and when he plants new shrubs or flowers for us they thrive. He feels like a member of the family even though we exchange few words. He keeps his head down and works quickly because he has many homes to visit and has to keep going before the sun goes down.
As my husband and I have grown older many of the chores related to our yard have become too much for us. We used to mulch our flower beds but now Jose completes that task. We move our potted plants from the patio to the garage each fall to keep them safe during freezes. This year we surrendered that task to Jose. A job that took us hours only lasted about fifteen minutes with Jose. When spring came he brought the same plants back outside in record time and placed them exactly where they needed to be.
Jose has been reliable and honest and superb in his work. Not once has he asked for a raise. I had to think of doing increasing his wages when prices began to rise. He never complains about any request we make no matter how strange and unrelated to yard maintenance it might be. If we need to move a heavy object upstairs he comes to the rescue. He even volunteers to hang and take down Christmas lights for a very small price.
It is important to note that Jose has a regular job during the week. He fits in yard work during times when he is not busy at his main source of income. Based on what I know it is probable that he works seven days a week and sometimes does extra jobs on weekdays when the sun stays out until late at night.
I would never underestimate the value of a man like Jose. He is exemplary in his work and I frankly can’t imagine not having him in our lives. I try to convey my appreciation of him but I’m not sure that I have been successful enough in showering him with enough well deserved praise to do that job.
I hear so many derogatory comments about people who do hard laboring jobs like Jose. Some folks make ugly comments about people like him, insinuating or even saying outlaid that they need to go back to whatever country from which they came. I know that Jose is an American citizen but I suspect that his dark skin and thick accent leave him prey to pejoratives that he should never have to endure. He is a valued person and a good American who daily demonstrates the very traits that we all attempt to instill in our children. He is a treasure not just to me but to the many people for whom he so diligently works week after week, year after year. He is an exemplar for al that is good and I just hope that he understands how greatly we appreciate him.
All It Takes Is A Little Love 