Yesterday was a hot, humid day. The same will be said for today and tomorrow.

When I passed by these guys on Federal Road in Brookfield yesterday roofing in this heat, I had to pull over. I snapped this picture of their hard work -- a big shout out to them.

I don't envy anyone who has to actually WORK for a living. Roofing in particular is very hard, very dangerous work. What they do is often overlooked and it should not be.

I had experience with this when I was younger and I remember the pain vividly. I went to work for my Uncle Steven when I was 19, who was a general contractor at the time. I needed money more than he needed a hand, so it was my job to do grunt work for every phase of this home we were building.

My second week on the job he turned me over to the roofers and said, "Son't take it easy on him."

The roofers did not take it easy on me. It was my job to haul shingle bags up a 30-foot ladder all day in extreme heat. One bag of asphalt roof shingles weighs between 60 and 80 lbs. It was the hardest I have ever worked in my life. I remember the first night I got home and went straight to bed. The next morning I wanted to quit. I did not, I stuck it out for the summer. I got to be a part of building someone's home and when I drive by that home, I still feel a sense of accomplishment.

I'm glad my Uncle told them not to take it easy on me. It was right around that time I decided that this was not what I wanted to do for a lifetime and I started actively pursuing a career in radio.

The fact that I remember the pain of that summer like it was yesterday is very telling. Now just imagine doing that everyday for 30 years. I'm in awe of people that work as hard as these guys do and they deserve a lot of credit.

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