Why we work

My Dad and My Tío Rulie taught me how to work. Let me share what I learned from another of my First Mentors, my grandfather, My Abuelo, Firpo. Firpo was a tough man. He grew up in Mexico in an Old School culture. Machismo, in those days, had nothing to do with being arrogant. It had a lot to do with taking care of your family. A man’s first priority was to work to protect and care for his family.

 

As I say, Firpo was a tough man. He expected me to be tough, too. He was brought up under the “I’ll give you something to cry about” mentality, so he treated me as such. He never hit me, but he admonished me plenty. I remember one big fight we had because he expected me to wear a hat. He wore a fedora, as most men did then. He didn’t expect me to wear a fedora, but a man wore a hat. That is all! Interestingly, I’ve worn a hat since 1972, when I joined the Air Force. To this day, I very seldom go outside without a hat on. Love you, Firpo!

 

My Abuelo, Firpo, died in 1968, of pancreatic cancer. Might have been from all of the incredibly hot chiles he used to eat. I can see him sitting at the head of the table, sweating profusely, tears streaming down his cheeks, and asking for hotter chiles. Raw would do.

 

One day, probably 1973, or so, I was sitting at lunch with My Abuela, Elvira, talking about the old days and the value of working. She was telling me about how hard My Dad, My Tío, and My Abuelo had worked to provide for the family. All of a sudden, a thought struck her and she got up from the table. She went into her bedroom for a few minutes, returned, sat down where she had been sitting, and plopped something onto the table. It was a silver dollar. 

 

She looked me in the eye, tearing up, and told me that Firpo had left that silver dollar for me. She’d forgotten about it until just now. She had promised him she would tell me that “as long as you have this, you’ll never be broke!” He’d worked hard to earn that dollar and wanted to ensure some security for me. What he taught me was way bigger than what a silver dollar is worth. He taught me to be honorable in all that I do.

 

Why do we work? To provide for ourselves and our families. We provide them the security and essentials they need to survive. We also provide them the love and care they need to grow into themselves.

 

I still have that silver dollar, by the way. I keep it in a safe place where I see it often. When I do, it reminds me that I’m not just working to put food on the table and a roof over my family’s heads, but to show them that working is honorable. Mother Theresa said that “our work is our prayer.” I pray that the work we do today will help others empower themselves to grow. I call that HEIRPOWER!

Until next time, Be GREAT! You ARE!

 

                    ¡HEIRPOWER!

 

                            bob vásquez!