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- By Carole Eibelhauser -
We all understand that work ethics include the items of respect, good communication and interaction, personal values of behavior, honesty, integrity, accountability, diligence, dependability, initiative and self-discipline. Believe it or not, these life skills are being taught in colleges and in on-line courses as “life skills.”
My father was my example of good work ethics. He owned and operated a market working long hours, six days a week, and really cared about his customers. Our family lived in an apartment above the store and often times I would join him at work to “help out.” Before my teens I weighed produce, helped collect items from the shelves for an order, bagged groceries and sometimes delivered the bags of groceries to houses up the street.
I feared delivering to Mrs. Sanborn because she reminded me of the witch in Hansel and Gretel. She was the oldest person I had ever seen, and, when she opened her door, both she and her house had an “old” smell. It’s funny how an old memory like this has stayed with me. I did learn to face my fear by confronting it head-on and doing my job.
Another early job was volunteering at the local hospital’s tonsil ward and helping the nurses with the patients and seeing that they had something cold to sooth their throats.
My first paying job was at a 5&10-cent store working the hair goods counter. The pay wasn’t much, but it made me feel good to have earned it.