The reward of labor is life. —William Morris—
Almost everyone complains about work: the price of fertilizer, the drudgery of housework, the bureaucratic details, and long hours. Whether we’re mechanics or physicians or key punch operators, most of us complain about the work we do.
Yet without work, where would we be? How could we derive a sense of ourselves as connected to the world if we weren’t involved in it through our work? Work is the fiber of our lives. It nourishes us and provides us with a measure of ourselves. When we’re productive, we feel good. When work loses its meaning, we feel bad.
We owe it to ourselves to find work that fulfills us. We need the rhythm of tasks begun and completed for our spiritual health. When our work violates us, we suffer. Then we need to look for creative solutions to end our pain—changing the work we do, taking risks.
Work is our blessing. Today I’ll be grateful for good work; what I do, I’ll do well.