Working for a Living

I’ve got a pretty good job and I like what I do for the most part. I’m thankful that it’s a part of my life and that it takes care of my needs. I guess that when it really comes down to it, I’m just doing time on earth and need to be gainfully employed at something but it’s more than that. When my day begins, the boss gives us a little pep talk; I get in my company provided vehicle and head out, giving service to those who need it. There is a lot of inherent trust on the companies part to just turn me loose and not be concerned that I’ll do the best I can for them. I like that and I try to give them 100% everyday. There is a certain amount of freedom in the fact that there is no one looking over my shoulder. I’m not being micro managed. I’ve been trained and given all the tools I need to complete my daily tasks. It’s really a pretty great job.

I like people and during my day, I’m always meeting someone new. The interesting thing is that there’s so much variety in the individuals that make up my customers. I’ve laughed with some. Shared stories of life with some. Prayed with some. Though there is the occasional crank, most folks are glad to see me when I show up. I’ve had some of my customers try to feed me, asked me to come back as a friend, even asked me out on a date once or twice. Though the technical aspects of my job are interesting and sometimes challenging, it’s the freedom of going place to place unsupervised and the interaction with others that make it most worthwhile.

That all being said, I wonder sometimes what daily living might be like if I didn’t require a job to survive. What would I do if the need for financial resources were already met? What if I had the freedom to do what I wanted with each day? I think most people understand that work is a good thing and that all of us need to be doing something productive. Why can’t it be in the pursuit of things we love? Like I said, I like my job but in all honesty I’m not in love with it.

There are lots of things that interest me. Natural resources, people in need, caring for the elderly, woodcraft, food and art to name a few. What it must be like to have the financial resources to contribute to worthy things, helping others and our planet. Living life from a philanthropic perspective. For me, helping the park service maintain hiking trails would be a wonderful thing. Volunteering clean up help on spoiled shorelines, saving whales, visiting old people and listening to the stories they have to tell, lending a hand in a soup kitchen, contributing what skills I have with Habitat for Humanity. These things are all work too. Yes?

I’ve always loved woodwork. Most of the things I’ve done though have come about because of a need, my own personal requirements or those of others. It would be great to have the freedom to create some beautiful or functional thing just because you wanted to see the fruits of your own hands labor. Having the time to learn and grow at some craft that gives you pleasure and possibly brings joy to another person. Just the idea of helping a child see that there is more to life than video games and the internet. Helping to open young eyes and minds to the possibility that they can have vision and purpose outside the limitations of the high tech world we live in today. That life need not be lived at breakneck speed. That there is peace and comfort in doing simple things that bring joy to themselves and to the world.

I suppose that some of these designs can still be accomplished while working the 9 to 5 life that most of us are in. It’s time that limits me mostly, that and money. More accurately, the absence of those things. Though I like my job and am thankful for it, I wish that I had the freedom to pursue things that might do some real good. There are many aspects of our lives that are truly blessings and that alone is much to be thankful for. I just sometimes see the world today with all of it’s armed conflicts, politics, starvation, homelessness, orphans, divorce, drugs, gangs, social disfunction; you name it and wonder what it could be like in my little corner had I the resources to make a difference. Wouldn’t it be just beautiful if you could start helping by having the time and finances to expand your mind and encourage just a little oasis of peace and joy?