It is the working man who is a happy man. The idle man is miserable.
Ben Franklin
Often The Husband and I wake in the middle of the night at the same time. (We embrace Second Sleep I guess) We turn the TV on and in a semi whisper so we don’t wake the kids we have conversations. Doesn’t seem all that amazing, except with the style and speed of the life we live- those conversations are often the only time we might talk all day. It’s never anything too deep; the kids grades, plans for the holidays and very often our jobs. Recently, we discussed my plans for my career. And that was when it hit me. Like a lead brick.
I really only have about 10-15 years left to be able to work.
I know the fact that I am sad about the limited number of years left in my high paced, stress intense 24/7 job seems ridiculous to many. That is because it has become popular to complain about the work we do. The entire ‘TGIF theme’ is centered on the idea that we are all working for the weekend. And to that end we are all working to get to retirement. That we all CAN’T WAIT until we can stop working.
WELL, NOT ME.
And I want us to re-think how we view the fact that many of us ‘have’ to work…. and know the difference between hating a JOB and hating working for a living.
I have tried to do my part; stating publically how much I love Mondays. I talk often about how I prefer working to nearly anything else. I never whine about having to work. I want us all to appreciate working- because without it, life would be pretty dull. If we were all ‘independently wealthy’ what would drive us? What would motivate us? How would we get a sense of satisfaction and thrill of achieving goals? What kind of world would we leave behind? There is an inherent desire by humans to feel productive and worthy. And work, ANY WORK, gives us that.
I rejoice in my ability to work for a living.
But I get it. There are a lot of people who really HATE their jobs. But I hope people see that it is possible to love your job. And to love the act of working in general. I hope they get the encouragement to make a job change. A career change. A life change to get to the point where they will be excited on Sunday evenings for the Monday work day around the corner.
And let’s all remember…now a days so many people go to bed at night praying they get any job they applied for so they can pay their rent or afford college for their kids- it seems outright ungrateful to be anything less than thrilled about working when discussing it publically.
So I have 10-15 years left in my career and maybe 30-40 years left on this planet (maybe. If I am lucky.) and as I see that final moment out in front of me, I can say confidently that I have zero fear of dying. But I have a big fear of NOT living.
And yes, that includes NOT working.
