No Holidays

(This monologue is meant to be a part of a group of monologues about my family/friends/growing up. Please ask permission before using this Monologue. Thank you)

Young Women: When I was fourteen I was shy and still played make believe with my friends. I was always a daydreamer. I still am a daydreamer. My brain was always, is always wondering far away in the worlds that I have either read about or that I make up. My dreams to no end when I wake up, rather they run behind everything I do during the day. When I was fourteen I was walking the line between childhood and adulthood as awkwardly as anyone. I had wonderfully horrible arguments with my mother about laundry. I had several college age boys hit on me...which at the time went over my head, I still thought boys were weird. I still think boys are weird.

Sometime during that awkward weird time when I was angry and scared and tired and whatever else it is teenagers feel, my Grandfather decided to pass on a part of his 'wisdom'.

Now my Grandparents at that time owned a car dealership. They were well respected members of the community. My Grandfather had grown up at the end of the depression and through World War 2. His older brothers had fought in that war, he had been too young. Instead he helped run the family farm and continually got in trouble for skipping school. My Grandparents on both sides of my family were hard workers, but my fathers parents passed on when I was younger, so they don't hold as strong of a place in my memory unfortunately. My mothers parents are still very much alive, and probably more active than I am. My Grandfather flies air planes, he even built the plane he currently flies. My Grandmother gardens and cooks and tons of other things.

Anyways, lets get back to when I was fourteen. I was hanging around the dealership one Saturday. My grandfather decided that it was time that I learn how to wash a car. For anyone who knows car dealerships, detailing cars is a big part of what they do. Before a car is handed over it is washed and vacuumed and made to look like new, even if its not. I was nervous about washing cars. My grandfather is a very strict man, kind but strict. He walked me through the basic steps, told me to not take any holidays, and left me with his red truck.

Let me explain what a holiday is. Its when you miss a place while you are washing the car. This place might have been wet, but because you never scrubbed it, when the car dries, you can see the 'dirty' place. Basically a holiday. I had heard this saying thousands of times, 'No holidays' I was terrified that I would leave a holiday. So I washed his truck three times before I let him come and see it.

Of course the real wisdom of the idea of 'no holidays' is deeper and farther reaching then washing cars. Although I don't think I ever thought of it that way when I was fourteen. At fourteen it was just about making sure I did a really good job washing that truck, so my Grandfather would not find fault. Yet every job I have ever worked I keep that in mind. 'No holidays' No taking a break or doing a half ass job. No missing something that seems unimportant or doing only part of the work. If you are going to do something do it, full force, to the best of your ability. If something is worth doing its worth doing right. I'm sure you have all heard that saying. Well for my Grandfather is means 'no holidays'. I wish more people had that kind of wisdom and actually enacted it. The world would be a better place.