Returning to the Grind

Welcome to “Onsite,” a fresh perspective brought to you by contributing writer Matt Ohley, founder of Bluecollar Mindfulness. In this column, Ohley cuts through the noise and delves into the challenges encountered by those shaping our world through construction. Ohley offers a unique perspective, amplifying the voices of those who experience the daily pulse of life on the jobsite.

Onsite is our commitment to breaking down the barriers and misconceptions that shroud the construction profession. Ohley aims to initiate open and honest conversations, from job insecurity to the transient nature of projects, physical strain and often-overlooked mental health struggles.

“Give me a few days off and I start plotting and scheming on how I can never do this again.”

It’s a common sentiment. Without fail, anytime I make this statement, after an extended period of time off, the majority of my coworkers break out in laughter, many in full agreement.

Getting back to the grind after the holidays is different for everyone, but I can say that I’ve witnessed two distinctive themes that seem to resonate with the majority of those coming out of the break.

The first group of people are those that resonate with the statement I started with. 

It’s not that we don’t like what we do, in fact, we may love what we do. But construction is grueling at times and once you give us three or four days off in a row we start thinking, “what could I possibly do to live as stress free as I have the last three days?”  

Again, I don’t take it as an indication that we don’t find purpose and meaning in what we do, but it’s kind of like when a generator is running on site all day and its noise just starts to blend in, and you don’t even really notice it until it turns off. Then, once it’s quiet, you think (and sometimes say out loud) “wow, that’s way better!”

When you get time away from the constant hum of everyday life in the industry, you usually experience the same feeling.

Then there are those that, after two days at home, for whatever reason, can’t wait to get back to work.  It’s what they live for; they eat, breathe and live this stuff. Of course, one of the more common statements made by these folks is that their partners couldn’t wait for them to get back to work, either. These people are “do-ers.” If they aren’t doing something on the jobsite they're looking for something to do at home. They need to do stuff. It’s obvious these folks find significant meaning and purpose in what they do, they’re typically the go-getters, the go-to folks that get stuff done.

And then there are, of course, people all over between those two ends of the spectrum.

At the end of the day, we all come back …  some of us not quite ready and others raring to go. We pick up where we left off before the break, we again try to find our groove and we continue to be the backbone of this country, building everything needed to function as modernly as we do.

Kudos to everyone out there on the tools and in the office for making it happen. I hope you got some much-needed rest over any break you got, if you indeed got one.