Mind Matters: Labor on Labor Day

Posted by Dr. Kayta Gajdos on September 10, 2016

On Labor Day, I drove back to Chadds Ford from Boston. So what’s so meaningful about that, you may wonder. After all, millions of people every day travel up and down the northeast corridor in planes, trains and automobiles – movie title or not.

But that is just the point. None of us would be able to do these jaunts if it weren’t for all the unsung souls who make it possible. We see the state police and are thankful for them when we break down; yet get an adrenaline rush of fear when we see ones lurking on the side clocking our speed as we pass. We probably recognize the construction people too again with some ambivalence – yes, repair these roads – but “not while I’m on it.” However, when do we consider the guy pumping gas on the New Jersey Turnpike or the woman scrubbing the toilets in those restrooms we take for granted until we need one? Or how about the Starbucks team steaming coffee nonstop and the fast food handlers who face long lines for hours on end? We take for granted so many people who serve us.

When I was a short order cook at a custard stand while in college, I knew my work had an end point. It was not easy. The people could be rude, the lines were long and I dreamt of twirling custard cones and frying hamburgers. It was hot, but I didn’t have to clean the bathrooms. So when I see all the service people we count on, I wonder what are their lives like, and what are their dreams? I try not to be one of the rude customers that I have encountered.

Yet, beyond having compassion for the people who help us, we also need to realize there is no way we can really get along without them. In other words, there really is no rugged individualism — we rely on others all the time. We at least see the lady cleaning the bathroom even if we don’t really take note of her, or the barista. Let’s take the analogy further – to the clothes we wear and the food we eat – to the laborers in the fields bent picking strawberries or lettuce or whatever; to the sewers and spinners of the fabric that covers us. So yes, these were my reflections on labor as I drove home on Labor Day.

** The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the ownership or management of Chadds Ford Live. We welcome opposing viewpoints. Readers may comment in the comments section or they may submit a Letter to the Editor to: editor@chaddsfordlive.com

About Kayta Gajdos

Dr. Kathleen Curzie Gajdos ("Kayta") is a licensed psychologist (Pennsylvania and Delaware) who has worked with individuals, couples, and families with a spectrum of problems. She has experience and training in the fields of alcohol and drug addictions, hypnosis, family therapy, Jungian theory, Gestalt therapy, EMDR, and bereavement. Dr. Gajdos developed a private practice in the Pittsburgh area, and was affiliated with the Family Therapy Institute of Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, having written numerous articles for the Family Therapy Newsletter there. She has published in the American Psychological Association Bulletin, the Family Psychologist, and in the Swedenborgian publications, Chrysalis and The Messenger. Dr. Gajdos has taught at the college level, most recently for West Chester University and Wilmington College, and has served as field faculty for Vermont College of Norwich University the Union Institute's Center for Distance Learning, Cincinnati, Ohio. She has also served as consulting psychologist to the Irene Stacy Community MH/MR Center in Western Pennsylvania where she supervised psychologists in training. Currently active in disaster relief, Dr. Gajdos serves with the American Red Cross and participated in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts as a member of teams from the Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Now living in Chadds Ford, in the Brandywine Valley of eastern Pennsylvania, Dr. Gajdos combines her private practice working with individuals, couples and families, with leading workshops on such topics as grief and healing, the impact of multigenerational grief and trauma shame, the shadow and self, Women Who Run with the Wolves, motherless daughters, and mediation and relaxation. Each year at Temenos Retreat Center in West Chester, PA she leads a griefs of birthing ritual for those who have suffered losses of procreation (abortions, miscarriages, infertility, etc.); she also holds yearly A Day of Re-Collection at Temenos.Dr. Gajdos holds Master's degrees in both philosophy and clinical psychology and received her Ph.D. in counseling at the University of Pittsburgh. Among her professional affiliations, she includes having been a founding member and board member of the C.G. Jung Educational Center of Pittsburgh, as well as being listed in Who's Who of American Women. Currently, she is a member of the American Psychological Association, The Pennsylvania Psychological Association, the Delaware Psychological Association, the American Family Therapy Academy, The Association for Death Education and Counseling, and the Delaware County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Board. Woven into her professional career are Dr. Gajdos' pursuits of dancing, singing, and writing poetry.