Establishing a Work Ethic Part 2

The Rewards of Hard Work – Part 2

When it was all said and done, all three of us, my two sisters and I went to college with my grandmother and my parents picking up the tab. I always had a little job at school, like working the post office or dining hall to earn a few extra bucks. My oldest sister became a teacher and even earned her Masters. Mental Illness sadly brought her career to a crashing halt when she was in her fifties. My youngest sister never secured what I would consider a "real" profession, working for a temp agency finding Hugo to fill in for Henry at the buffet table on a Sunday morning, not exactly my cup of tea. Similarly, her next job was deciding whether Mr. Rubenstein or Mrs. Smith’s granddaughter was scheduled for the tennis court at 9:00 AM at the Country Club. Neither job appeared to be the most stimulating vocation, much less a career.

Amazingly, I was the only one to earn an undergraduate degree, a graduate degree, and even a specialist degree in my chosen profession which I pursued for almost forty years. I also served as President of a number of organizations including the State of Delaware's professional organization.

The Joys of a Work Ethic

I report all this, because I proudly have a solid work ethic, and worked hard to have what I have today. The gravy, the easy money, also came along with the rights to inheritance or more appropriately the privilege. My two adopted children might think they have a right to "their inheritance," but anyone who has followed my story for the past few years knows that their "rights" will be assumed by their children, our four grandsons, bypassing their parents altogether. The grandchild we adopted and made our own will also benefit from our labors. That is assuming they all pursue careers my wife and I pursued quite successfully.