“We take it easy, and we make it easy” Many years ago, when I was having “another life” in my job function, I was asked to interview a grandmotherly, African American female as a part of a child protective service investigation. I encountered her in the middle of a field, where she was stooped over, picking vegetables in the scorching sun. The day was so hot that I could barely stand the temperature inside of my air conditioned car. I walked through the field in the baking sun to approach this lady. She was covered in dark clothing and wore a sort of bandana on her head. Over that was perched a straw, brimmed hat. As I walked over to her, I wondered how she could possibly stand to work under these conditions. So I asked her exactly that question. She grinned a partly toothless smile, winked, and said, “Ohh, we take it easy and we make it easy!” Over the years since that day, I have pondered and marveled at the wisdom in that statement, given that she was still smiling during what seemed to me to be torturous working conditions. I sometimes relate that story to clients,…
