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This is Work - The Calm Before the Construction Zone

 



Where I live, road construction stops during the winter months due to weather. The ground freezes and it is not uncommon to see snow, sleet, and ice. The weather and the frozen ground all make road construction challenging. Yet, here we are in the early days of spring and the season is just getting started as temperatures increase. It will not be uncommon for me to be driving the non-winter seasons and hit some road construction, even on the weekends or overnight.

The spring temperatures and weather conditions have made walking more pleasant too. On the side of one of the walking trails I frequent there is a construction company. They have a large yard where they store materials and equipment when they are not in use. I gaze at this area of materials and equipment each time I am on this particular trail. What struck me on this walk was the large pile of traffic drums, the bright orange striped barrels, that are used create a barrier around a construction area.

The traffic drums were all stacked up and ready for a laborer to come and load them up for use. There is good chance, in my daily travels for work and play, I will encounter one of those traffic drums and someone with the job to put them there and then work behind them. A job in construction laboring may not be glamourous or easy by any standard.

While not requiring a traditional four-year college degree, some jobs may be apprenticeships and others are hands on training. These workers are so important to my day to day life. I like enjoy the privilege of driving my car on a paved and maintained roadway to get to my job or to enjoy my non-working time. As the summer comes, and people hit the roadways on vacation, those construction laborers become even more important to keeping everything running smoothly. The job is physically demanding, works in the elements, and can be dangerous. Sadly, there are instances where construction workers were killed on the job. Still, the job is super important and we all need more people to choose this kind of work, so the rest of us can drive to work and play in our day to day.  #thisiswork

~Karen Cirincione

Email: kcirincione@gmail.com        

Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/karenjcirincione

Twitter: @kcirincione  


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