"Every job has dignity."
As the Labor Day holiday approaches in the U.S., I am reminded of the hard fought struggles and triumphs of the labor movement, not just here in the states, but all over the world. It is a history that affects all of us in one way or another. This year I'm reminded of one specific person who exemplified and taught my mom, and me through her, the real value, dignity of, and respect for hard work - my maternal grandfather ("deka" in Serbian) Slavko.
Who are the people in your life that taught you the literal and figurative value of hard work?
As a homeless 10-year-old, deka Slavko survived working for a cruel German shoemaker between approximately 1926 and 1936. Later on, he survived the World War II forced labor camps. And when he finally was released in 1944 as a 28-year-old, he returned to Yugoslavia and started working in a shoe factory. He realized that the only profitable skill he had was as a shoemaker, regardless of the painful memories that this job must've brought back for him.
Despite the fact that poverty and World War II took what some would call "the best years of his life" to get an education and explore all that life had to offer, he was never bitter. After the war, he quietly pursued a simple family life in Yugoslavia. He married my amazing grandmother ("baka" in Serbian) Duca, raised two children, and was the sole provider for his family until he suffered a heart attack in his 60's.
My mom tells this story about grandpa, of a time when she was a little girl taking a walk with him in their hometown of Bijeljina. She remembers it was a Sunday morning one spring or summer day. He was dressed in his clean suit with a hat on his head; a hat that he pretty much always wore when out and about. She was wearing one of a few dresses she owned, and that my grandma always made sure were perfectly clean and pressed. At one point they came upon a street cleaner spraying the streets with water, cleaning the debris that had accumulated from the day before. Deka Slavko immediately raised his right hand to his hat, held the tip of it, made eye contact with the man, took off his hat and tipped it in his direction, while saying "Dobro jutro druze. / Good morning, friend".
My mom, being a little girl of no more than 10 years old was confused at the scene. After they passed the man, and there was a good distance between them, she asked "Daddy, why did you take your hat off for the street cleaner, when no one else does that?" Deka Slavko, in his gentle way, turned to his beloved daughter and explained "Imagine what it would be like if no one cleaned these streets. We would have to walk in dirt and filth everywhere. Because of that man and his hard work, we're able to enjoy walking in our neighborhood. That is why everyone's work, including the street cleaner's, should be respected. We shouldn't value them based on the amount of money the work earns them, because that has nothing to do with us." My mom went on to say that her dad's explanation that day helped her later in life to choose work that would ensure she could provide a good life for her children.
And although I never got the chance to meet my deka Slavko, I like to think that his respect for all work was passed on to me. My mom, his daughter, certainly made sure that all four of her children understood and embodied a healthy work ethic and respect for all working people.
Happy Labor Day!
~Modern Akhmatova
