The Laborer: The First to Lift, the Last to Leave

The Trades as Masters | Final Installment

He doesn't hold a title.

but he holds the site together.

No one calls him the master,

although a few have crossed my path.

But without him, nothing begins.

There's no place to work.

He moves what others forget.

Preps what others need.

Fixes what others leave behind.

He arrives before the coffee.

Leaves after the noise.

He doesn't speak much

But his broom writes clean lines

and makes the path that others can follow.

His hands know where things go.

He doesn't ask, "Is this my job?"

He does what must be done.

People say, "Just a laborer."

But he sees everything,

everyone.

He knows the flow.

Feels the pressure.

Moves with the rhythm of the job.

Sometimes, he becomes a foreman.

Sometimes, he stays loyal, not to a company

to the work, the craft, to the crew.

He reminds us that greatness isn’t always loud.

Sometimes, it’s just there sweeping, lifting,

making sure the rest of us can do what we do.

Field Note:

The laborer teaches humility and presence.

To serve the work.

To carry the weight.

To move with grace, even when unseen.