Maria and Simon say good morning to one another. Love and work are the pillars of my life, the points of my existence, my purpose. Every morning when I wake up I ask myself what can I do for love, what can I do for work?
Today is Labor Day, and I believe Freud had it right when he said the twin pillars of life are love and work. The two things I most value in life are loving and being loved and loving the work I do. In recent years I have seen work for many people transformed. People work for health care or IRA’s or to pay their mortgages but when an interviewer asked me recently what was the most important thing I had learned in my writing life I said it was the importance of loving work.
If love is the foundation of my life, work is central to my identity, my peace of mind, my health, my ego and soul. Like many people, my childhood was not simple but early on I knew I loved writing and that I needed to do it. I feel the same way about photography which has become an elemental part of my work. So has my blog, and I love all three. Loving work is a great reason to get up in the morning and give thanks for each day. Today I will devote my photography to celebrating my own notions of work.
I am sorry to hear so many people tell me they do not love their work or the people they are working for. Working to survive is very understandable, an old story in the world. So is loving the work I do. I will celebrate this day and wish the same for everyone who works. Some people believe they can find work they love, others believe is too late, or too difficult. Everyone has to make their own choices.
This morning, I will walk the dogs on the path and say a prayer for the love of work. This afternoon is devoted to work on the farm – getting 200 bales from farmer Nelson Greene. He charges $4.50 a square bale plus $1.00 a bale for delivery (second cut.) Nothing makes me feel more grounded than to have hay in the barn before winter. Next week begins construction of the fences at the New Bedlam Farm. When they are done, the animals can move in and so can we.
