Lessons from Blueberries

A post to my children:

I can't pick blueberries without remembering my first job and I usually tell you about it while we are picking. I was in 7th and 8th grade and we lived in Oregon close to a blueberry farm. My family picked blueberries and I remember my Dad loving the blueberries and exclaiming over how big the berries were and how wonderful they tasted. At that time I didn't like blueberries. I don't remember how it happened. I know that I did not make any phone calls to pursue a job. And so I really think that it was my Dad who said something when we bought blueberries that landed me that summer job of picking blueberries.

I got there early in the morning and worked until about noon. I don't remember regularly packing a lunch. I would sit under the bush on a turned over 5 gallon bucket and pick the bush clean. Picking in Oregon was different than picking here on the East Coast. We picked handfuls of berries at a time. Somehow pretty much all of the berries ripened at the same time. Here on the East Coast we have to pick one berry very carefully at a time and it takes forever to fill a bucket.

I'd fill my gallon bucket and then take it over to the nice lady in charge to get it weighed. She would write the weight down on a clipboard and I got paid by the pound. I know that I wasn't a super fast picker, but I kept at it. I didn't take breaks. I didn't have a phone to mess around on. I picked 7 or 8 buckets a day.

One summer there were a couple other girls my age. I really enjoyed when we were put on the same row together. I got paid one time at the end of the season. Both summers my checks were just over $100. I got paid 24 cents a pound. I was quite happy with that pay check and I put it right in the bank.

I had some really boring, low paying summer jobs. I hope you do too. Because you will learn to stick with a job even when it is boring. You'll learn to show up and work hard because it's the right thing to do. You'll appreciate your paycheck. And while you're working you'll dream of a job that you really want and then you will work to reach that ideal job and you'll be a good employee or employer. And hopefully I'll be the mom who will make sure you only have a flip phone in your pocket so that you won't be distracted from learning life lessons!