The Holiday is over!

Love Your Work

“Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all.” Sam Ewing

So, the holiday is over; it's time to go back to work! Aren't we glad that every now and then, there's an enforced holiday—one of the correct workings of the federal government, which we find so lacking these days. We Americans hardly know what it means to stop working for three whole days. The women in my group at the lake practically had to restrain me to get me to stay the whole weekend.

But today is different! Today we troop back into work, either refreshed or dissipated, enthusiastic or glum. Work tends to be something we either love or hate. To a large extent, how we feel about work depends on whether or not it is an expression of ourselves. The way we do our work, the pride we bring to it, the investment we make in it, all depend upon whether or not that work is a reflection of our authentic soul. Does our work have heart? Does it serve a purpose beyond enriching us? Is the purpose a moral one?

According to the Buddha, “Your work is to discover your world and then, with all your heart, give yourself to it.” When we do that, regardless of what our work is, we find meaning, and comfort, and pride in what we do. What is your world? What work would express you so completely it would never feel like work, but only self-discovery? That is the work you are called to do.

                                                  In the Spirit,

                                                       Jane