Yesterday morning, I was up at 5:30am to go power walking with my daughter.   The hills that surround our home are steep and a simple 2.5 or 3-mile walk quickly turns into a gut-wrenching, heart-pounding, thigh burning nightmare every morning.  And I love it.  Well, not while it is going on... during the walk I want to sit down and cry but afterward, I feel great and I am energized to make it through my day and write through my night.  It has become a great habit and I hope to keep at it. 

While on our walk yesterday, a hook and ladder fire truck appeared out of nowhere and raced down the street.  It was early and they refrained from using the siren but the flashing lights were startling enough given the hour.  As I watched the truck go by, I wondered where they were going, for it was so early.  "What an important job they have..., saving lives and property.  Serving the public."  I wondered if they realize the importance of what they provide.  I am sure that many of them do.  I am also sure there are those that take advantage of it and the public perception.  

How important do you think YOUR job is?  Are you really "in" to what you provide for your company, your clientele or the others you serve?  Often, we just go through the motions, working from paycheck to paycheck, not really finding joy or fulfillment in our work.  Is what you do every day for a living merely a paycheck? 

Yes, I know it is unusual to really like your job.  And it is cheesy to want to make a difference in others' lives.  And joy?  Is it really possible to achieve?  I think I am the wrong person to ask because my truth is very close  to the unusual, cheesy, and absurdity of work-life joy.  I can't help it; I guess I am a lucky one. 

So when I walk in the morning, not only do I clear my head but I also plot my day.  I can lay before me what needs to be done and when a fire truck screams past, followed closely by a police car - I still see and feel the importance of my work, what I give every day.   Not everyone gets to save lives or protect neighborhoods.  Not everyone is curing cancer or designing the next generation of iAnything.  But what I give and how I give does make a difference - is an accomplishment.  If not for anyone else, then for sure, me and my little family.  And that is something of which to be proud.  No, I will never walk away with a medal of valor, but the homemade Mother's Day card is pretty darn good!

by rayannethorn