My grandpas are a few of my favorite elders. The stories and moments they share about their past are so precious. Like diamonds and pearls you want to never forget and keep them forever. But all stories have a point they want to get across to the listeners. The focus of most of my grandpas stories is that hard work pays off. Both of my grandpas had different jobs and were born during different times. As they were confronted with different situations in their jobs they learned how important hard work really is.

It all started off for my grandpa when he was about 8 years old. The chicken/dairy factory in town’s chickens always got loose. Meandering down the roads the chickens would go, just until some child would scoop it up and turn it in. They would pay ten cents if they brought back one chicken. If you could bring back two, they would give you a trip dip ice cream cone. Grandpa spent many hours catching chickens to get some ice cream on a hot day or saving his dimes up just to buy a new toy to add to the collection. As of today my grandpa is an auctioneer and finds it an enjoyable way to make some money and meet new people. Grandpa never fails to mention how it’s good to have good connections with people and be a friendly person. He always says “it’s not about what you know, its about who you know”. Even though some people would disagree with this I think he has a good point. Throughout all of his money making adventures he learned a lot of things. At the young age of 8 years old the concept of hard work really does pay off began to sink in. Whether he was getting a cold sweet ice cream treat on a scorching hot day, or saving dimes up to purchase a new toy, that taught him to be the great saver he is today.

My other grandpa was born in 1934 and they were just coming out of the great depression. Earning money was not an easy task. He was born on a farm with three younger sisters and one younger brother. As you might imagine most of the jobs they had in their adolescent years were around the farm. They raised cattle, hogs, chickens, and cows. Whether it was taking care of the animals, collecting eggs, or doing house work there was always something to do. All of the kids had a list of things to do and they got paid twenty five cents a week for allowance money. Grandpa told me “you can't even begin to imagine how poor everyone was”. Because they produced their own eggs, milk, and meat; the majority of the food they ate was home grown and produced. The family would take the eggs and cream to town every saturday night and sell them to buy sugar and flour for baking. When he was fourteen he got his first job outside the home. It was loading and hauling oat bundles from the field to the threshing machine. Then throwing them one by one into the machine to separate the oats from the straw. The oats went into a wagon and the straw into a big pile. For this he got paid two dollars a day. My grandpa also put into perspective how the value of money has has changed. His first “real job” was working for a local elevator. He worked 6 days a week and received fifty dollars. I was amazed at how little money this is. Grandpa replied “ You must remember that everything else was cheap. We only paid thirty five dollars a month for house rent”. As you might imagine grandpa learned a lot of things from these money making experiences. Working on the farm he learned the harder you work, the better quality the work you’re doing will be. As he moved into his job of hauling oat bundles he even more realized the kind of strength and toughness he needed to haul the bundles. It wasn't until he started work at the elevator did it all click together. He knew to be good at your job you need strength, smartness, ability to work hard, effort, and a some-what liking for what you're doing.

My chatty grandpas were educated on many things as they experienced different jobs. Their stories continue to be valuable gems in my life. As my grandpa said “ Times have really changed over the years Through it all we lived a pretty good life”.