Hands play such an important part in our daily life
Kate Gornick spends a quiet moment praying the rosary by candlelight.
A field hand picks grapes during the fall harvest at a vineyard in Avella.
A migrant worker picks strawberries during harvest.
A farmer holds pea vpods at Cherry Valley Organics Farm in Burgettstown.
Randy Brown holds a few apples that he picked at Brown’s Orchard and Cider Co. in McDonald.
Linda Polinski comforts a kitten rescued from a snowstorm.
U.S. Army veteran Yaareb Al Taweel and his wife, Mays, at their home in Canonsburg.
The loving touch of a mother as she cradles her child. The heart surgeon performing a life-saving operation. The farmer who reaches down into the dirt to pull up an onion.
Hands play such an important part in our daily life. They are instrumental to our survival as a species and to the development of our society in more ways than one can imagine. Through their function came the rise of nations, great works of art, amazing architecture and sports. Hands are symbols of expression and communication. They build our dreams and contribute to the betterment of the world.
The farmer cultivates soil, planting seeds and harvesting crops. Farm workers pick by hand nearly 85 percent of all fruits and vegetables that are sold in the United States. During the harvest season, they can work from sunup to sundown seven days a week in extreme heat and humidity to provide us with the essentials to sustain life. Farm workers have the highest rate of toxic chemical injuries due to exposure to pesticides of any other workers in the country. Farm work is also the second-lowest paid job in the United States.
When you touch another person, signals are sent to your brain, which translate into feelings of happiness, security and an overall sense of well being. This leads to a decrease in stress hormones and an increase in oxytocin, a hormone thought to boost immunity and reduce heart rate, blood pressure and anxiety. Touch also releases endorphins, which are the body’s natural painkillers.
There is a real biological need for touch; we can’t survive without it. Researchers discovered in the early 19th century that children who had been abandoned at birth and placed into orphanages died by the thousands, even though they were kept clean, fed and safe. Only after extensive study years later did psychologists conclude that the infants died from the lack of touch.
Each set of hands holds unique stories of one’s life and with close inspection, we can appreciate the wonders that our hands create.