A pretty good start

Work is a necessary part of life.  Without it most of us would have no home, or any of the finer things in life -- like food and clothing.   But how we work is as diverse as we are.

There is the drudgery of a job that is repetitive and long and there is the contentment of having a job that is repetitive and long.

There is the satisfaction of knowing a job saves lives and there is the terror of knowing a job is a life saver when the gods smile upon you.

There is the job that provides all of life's necessities and the job that is one of life's necessities.  That is the one I am thinking of this morning: the job where the only pay comes in abstract ways that are possibly more important than I might want to believe. 

Most of my jobs are this sort now  I don't even have to mow the lawn anymore.  I don't really have to do much of anything, so my personal sense of worth is sometimes terribly challenged.  I need to be useful more than I need money.

Being one of the lucky few whose job was always one that seemed important in the grand scheme and also being one of those whose job was one I loved more than I loved any money it made has sort of prepared me for this time in my life.

I am a volunteer.  I volunteer between twelve and twenty hours a week and even though it is real work, it is one of my favorite things to do.  The rest of my time is spent doing what I want.  Well, actually, all my time is pretty much spent doing what I want.  Does life get any better than that?

It might, but this is a pretty good start.