The city I live in is in perpetual construction mode. The traffic situation gets inconvenient sometimes, but the citizens’ consolation is knowing where our tax dollars are being spent.
On fair weekends when I head out to the mountains, I notice the colorful enhancements done along our interstate highways. Brick wall fences have gone up to shield the residential communities from the nonstop stream of vehicles that speed by, giving them privacy from the commuting public. The bricks’ designs have made the long drives very interesting because their aesthetic appeal can do wonders for tired driving eyes.
Most of the construction workers who brought us such outdoor delight came from alien countries, many of whom don’t even speak English. But judging from the influx of alien women and children who have come here recently, those construction workers must have found jobs after their work on the freeway sites were completed. The language barrier has not stopped them from making America
On the rare occasions that I witnessed a roadside construction in progress, I’m sure that the outdoor work involved was no picnic. The dust constantly blowing on the workers' faces might have been a major inconvenience, but might have also become second nature to the job. The hot sun on their bodies might be skin cancer waiting to happen if they worked unprotected, but the possibility didn't seem to bother them. The meals they had during the work day would have been better if they didn’t have to eat on the construction site. And their bathroom break? I don’t need to be graphic. The portable potties on the sites tell the whole sordid story.
Construction work is a real pain. Thankfully, workers get decent pay for their efforts.
Although today’s job market has not been kind, there appears to be so much potential resulting from the work done in the construction industry. There exists, thank goodness, many opportunities for jobs like housekeeping, warehouse work, retail shopping centers and other fields.
These days every time I see construction work in progress, I can’t help but feel hopeful. Once the structures are completed, there will be an availability of job offerings for certain. The long unemployed folks will be back on their feet. The economy that’s been struggling for too long, will have nowhere else to go but up.
Perhaps it’s wishful thinking, but I would hate to even imagine that, heaven forbid, the throbbing construction efforts would simply go to waste. My glass half-full mentality would rather err on the side of optimistic foresight than pessimistic shortsightedness.
