Does chronic depression count?
Bahahaha that response. And no… but kinda lol
@slowdecline48 
@azurePond We have that in common, then...
(Is that Aubrey Plaza in the GIF? She's kinda hot...)
@slowdecline48 Yep...it’s her… and I totally agree!
@jesusredeemedme2425 Weird tradition? IDK if its weird....but it’s definitely unusual—manual labor in the summers. It was completely normal where I grew up and with my friends they also had similar assignments but when I went to college... the kids there were like You do WHAT for summer?!
Yep. Every year (and even now if life doesn’t get in the way) we get assigned jobs (We traveled too but that was maybe for a week and we had to plan the whole thing—manual labor took priority ) Farm work, shoveling sh!!t , cow dung (yes literal crap) chopping wood, building stuff(though not my forte)… oh and that one time our father was building a house. He had actual contractors and engineers but that didn’t stop him from making us mix concrete.
Its a generational thing—especially farming. We come from a looong line of farmers apparently and even though none of us are technically farmers now... we all still farm. It’s like muscle memory at this point. My brother travels a lot for work but even he carries a portable vegetable garden like some kind of nomadic farmer. Also from all this I have got a super power... I can predict the weather just by looking at the sky. Once, a friend asked how I knew it wouldnt rain when the forecast said otherwise (by observing the wind direction duh). I just looked him straight in the eye, dead serious, and said My ancestors told me. And another time I spooked him by saying "Stop over watering your houseplants... My ancestors are angry at you."
He believed me. And honestly? He should🌾😂
@azurePond It wasn't so unusual back when most people lived in small towns & villages. With the urbanization of the 19th & 20th centuries, most of humanity has lost the old skills... Everyone is too busy tapping their phone screens & burning out their retinas to look at the sky & learn signs of an impending storm, etc.--& we lived in noisy cacophonous cities for, what, seven generations now? So the average person's senses are as dull as the typical White House press secretary. That's one reason why I've been into my hobbies & interests for as long as I have...one of several reasons.
@slowdecline48 That’s a great point! Modern life has definitely dulled many of the old instincts people used to rely on. It’s interesting how technology gives us instant information but at the same time, we’ve lost the ability to read the world around us. And yes hobbies—especially woodworking—sound like a great way to reconnect with those skills!!
Also.... working on farms has definitely helped us a lot. It builds stamina (we are an energetic bunch even without caffeine) improves physical health (though I didnt get tall much...I am physically strong..like strong immunity) and gives us a deep respect for blue collar workers and farmers. We often talk about the service of cops and soldiers and I know all jobs have social value and deserve respect... but the sheer physical exertion of manual labour is on another level. I honestly dont know how some people do bone grinding work for 8 hours a day then wake up at 5 AM and do it all over again.
