Sweat, Sacrifice and Heartache
An homage to the men and women out there, here, millions of them, many of them Hispanics, others not, living in the trenches, working every day, sun up to sun down, some by choice, others by destiny, misfortune perhaps, in the most ‘menial,’ undesired of jobs, often overlooked, if not completely misrepresented, both in the mainstream and in life, ‘a duras penas, con sudor y sacrificio‘, doing whatever it takes, simply to make it another day. Not a pity party, instead a ‘hey we see you out there, you’re not invisible. ¡Animo!’
Criada, sirvienta, mucama – housekeeping!
Obrero, jornalero, mano de obra – en la construction…
Niñeras, de Niños y de Ancianos también.
Mantenimiento…o sea, Maintenance.
Reciclador Profesional – Professional Recycler!
Paleteros, Eloteros, Chicharroneros…Street Vendors really.
Talking, Walking…Ads. The newest trend in Guerilla Marketing.
Corta Yardas – Yard Cutter, of many…many a lawns!
Piscadores de lechuga, fruta…cotton, or anything else in high demand.
‘Y muchos, muchos, muchísimos más‘. My parents, my uncles, my aunts, my cousins, my sisters, my friends, my family, ‘y todos, somos los mismos‘ – even today, college degrees, certificates, office jobs, ‘inglish’, and all. These people were my teachers in life from whom I learned much more than I ever did in any classroom, not the least of which were three basic ‘principios’: honor, humility and dignity.