I believe in jeans; the kind that you can work in for hours, but still go out in public. The kind that lets you do what you are capable of doing. The kind that will let you embrace the traits of how hard you work, how long you play, and how good you look. It is about having something to reflect on while pursuing dreams.
I grew up living in a community that required a lot of laborious work such as farming and gardening, as well as many house building projects. Around my house, there was always something that needed to be fixed. Generally, these projects were incredibly messy, as one would expect painting and plumbing work to be. Because of how messy it was, I never liked to work, paint, or garden. Being a lazy child, I always tried to weasel my way out of work projects. I did not like to sweat, get sunburns, blisters, or any other wounds that come with manual labor.
It was not until I got my first dedicated pair of work jeans did I start not having a problem with work. Any issues I had with work before began to disappear. It suddenly became alright in my mind if I did sweat, got dirty, and tore my clothes because I knew these pants were dedicated for doing work. This only solved part of the problem though; I still did not like to do all that much work. It just became more tolerable.
As I got older, I started my own lawn care business. Where I lived, that proved to be a very profitable business for a twelve year old. I began to habitually work outside, whether the weather was sunny and warm or below freezing with wind chill. I began to love doing this because I got to work for something: money. There was a reason behind why I was choosing to work. The business changed how I later perceived working and what it meant to work. No matter if I was mowing people’s lawns, plowing out the driveway, or working in the garden, I was always wearing the same pair of work jeans.
As I moved and got a bit older, I began seeking a different job. I applied for roughly thirty jobs before receiving a call from one of the smoothie franchises in town. I got the job. The first couple of training days I had there, I made sure to pay attention to the status of the jeans some of my coworkers were wearing. One of my favorite managers, Chad, had the most stained, torn, and used jeans out of everybody in the building. I made sure to ask him the question I had and I made sure to learn from his habits. The status of his jeans told me that he was not afraid to work; he wanted to do the best he could every shift he got. And just like him, I wanted to do the best I could every shift.
I believe in jeans, but more importantly I believe in hard work. Hard work that can only come through wearing jeans: something as durable as the human spirit and as capable as the most vigorous animal. Jeans are the easiest way to tell others who you are, and how hard you work. Jeans are one of the main reason I believe in work. And work, I believe, can only be measured with a pair of jeans.