For 40 years,
my mom and dad
woke themselves at 2:30 a.m.
had a cup of coffee
and
a microwaved bologna and cheese.
(oh the smell!).
After putting on coveralls
and
overshoes,
one went to to set up the milk barn,
the other to gather the cows
as their milk was due.
For the next few hours,
they milked
eight cows at a time
four on each side of the parlor.
After cleaning up
the spilled milk,
the manure,
after sanitizing the equipment
and
double-checking to be sure,
it was breakfast time.
The day had only begun.
Until 2:30 p.m., there was
feed to grind and mix,
crops to be tended,
machinery to be fixed.
Then the cows were ready for milking again.
40 years. Two times a day. 365 days a year.
Rain or shine.
Snow or heat.
Well-rested or beat.
Through their example, I learned
that showing up
Every. Single. Day.
is how the work gets done
whether you’re milking cows
or writing for pay.
So whenever I hear some
entrepreneur talking about
the “grind”
or
the “hustle”
as if they invented the term,
I remember mom and dad
and it makes me chuckle.