I Can Do It Too!

I'm sunburnt, sore, filthy, and exhausted...but I feel better today, than I've felt in a long time. This week I'm volunteering with a group to help repair the homes of the less fortunate. I was originally supposed to be one of the photographers for the week, but after a minor injury left a crew short I laid down the camera and picked up a hammer, or so I though. The crew I'm with is tasked to rebuild a porch roof, and build a wheelchair deck and ramp for an older lady. It's exhausting, hot work (and it's only day 2 of 5!), but the joy of helping someone overcomes all of that. It's renewed my faith in humanity to see folks come together to make a difference in people lives. With that being said, I must get something off my chest. As we've been working on the roof and doing other projects, I've noticed that certain jobs seem to be reserved for the men and certain jobs are designated for the women. Now for most people this may seem the logical choice, but it absolutely drives me crazy. For someone who grew up on a ranch building fences and sheds, and lifting 50lb bags of feed, it's almost humiliating to have to stand on the ground and merely act as a go-fer for the men doing all the work. On some level I understand the men not expecting a woman to know how to use power tools or put roofing on, but I figured after I helped unload the 80lb bags of cement yesterday (which the guys my age couldn't lift) and did at least my fair share of digging postholes, they would let me do a bit more. They are extremely protective, which is sweet, but at the same time, it's difficult to feel like I'm actually contributing to the project while standing on a ladder watching them lay the roofing. I get to hold the boards while they put the screws and nails in, and mark lines with a pencil after they've already measured it out. I detest being treated as though I don't know how to do those other things just because I'm young and a woman. A friend of mine, who is my age and also a woman, actually has more power tools than most guys I know, and can use them just as well! When will guys ever learn that women can do those kinds of things too. Most of the women got stuck doing landscaping or painting, and I'm grateful that I get to do something a bit more exciting than that. Tomorrow we start working on the ramp, and I can't wait to get ahold of those power tools and show those guys what's what. There's even a rumor of screening in the porch using a nail gun...now that could be fun!