I Wanna Get Dirty With Mike Rowe

For those of you who know me, it should come as no surprise that I have a
mantastic man crush on Mike Rowe.  Ever since my first episode of "Dirty Jobs", I have been enamored with this fine example of American Manhood.  I have always had a touch of the rainbow inside me, and I'm not afraid to admit it.  Granted, not to the point where I want some dude drilling me from behind like he's trying to frack a new deep shale oil well, but just enough that I can appreciate the male form and admit it when a man is attractive, or for that matter even sexy.

As so often happens with all relationships, the newness had worn off and I found myself wondering just how many dirty jobs there are in this world that he could do that would peek my interest.  I found myself thinking that I had fallen out of love with him, seeing him on the occasional Ford commercial thinking to myself that he had sold out to "the man".  That was, until I came across this iReport he posted on CNN.

Needless to say, the flame has been re-kindled.  Everything he says in that
piece is true.  We as Americans have become disenchanted with hard work.  It should come as no surprise to us that so many people from other countries view us as lazy.  We have become accustomed to a life of leisure, afraid to get our hands dirty and get down to some real work.

There is a certain satisfaction in doing dirty work, a sense of pride in a job
well done.  I am certainly not one who can say that he works "hard" for a
living, but I am also not afraid to get down and dirty when the job calls for
it.  I cut my own grass, change my own oil, do as much home repair as I am capable of.  It not only feels good to do a hard days work, it's good for you.

So I take this opportunity to tell you to take a look around you.  Find the
invisible people that you so often take for granted, the janitor, the plumber, the trash man, the soldier, and thank them.  Thank them for doing the dirty work that you don't want or care to do.  Thank them for getting out of bed day after day and working hard so that we as Americans can have a better life.  Or better yet, take a day off and volunteer somewhere like Habitat for Humanity and get dirty yourself.