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Born in the US, raised on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, lived in Italy, the US, and Canada. Lover of language, travel, colour, and the natural world.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Work as worship

 
“Wherever you are is always the right place. There is never a need to fix anything, to hitch up the bootstraps of the soul and start at some higher place. Start right where you are.”  -Julia Cameron
 
I spent the day today raking leaves for a friend who needed some yard work done. I am dog-tired tonight, but I am happy. I spent the day outside doing physical work under a clear blue sky and warmed by sunshine. I breathed fresh air. I even got to watch two flocks of migrating geese headed south pass overhead, which always makes me feel supremely blessed. By the end of the day my entire body ached--it has been a long time since I last did hard physical work--but I felt healthy and content for having done an honest day's work. The Baha'i writings say that work is worship, and I felt that distinctly today while I was out at my friend's home raking leaves, piling them onto a tarp and dragging them to the other side of the farm to the compost. Sometimes the simplest activities are exactly what we need. Work is a blessing. It helps to focus the attention, to set goals, and to commit to accomplishing something meaningful every day. Today I am feeling grateful for the work my friend has hired me to do. For something that demands that I get up early and head out before the earth has been completely warmed by the sun. For the physical satisfaction of know I accomplished something worthwhile with my day. And for the glorious sensation of being able to work outside, beneath the sun-lit sky. 

How about you, friends? What are you feeling grateful for in the place and moment that you are living in right now?

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