“Fun I love, but too much fun is of all things the most loathsome. Mirth is better than fun, and happiness is better than mirth.” - William BlakeToday, I find myself thinking about work. With all the emphasis on labor-saving devices and the drive for more leisure time in the US and other industrialized countries, it would be easy to reach the conclusion that work is something to avoid when possible. In fact, I think that work can be one of the most satisfying activities in our lives.

For more than a century, especially in more prosperous areas, we’ve embraced the notion of modern conveniences that could save us time and effort. From washing machines and microwave ovens, to personal computers and the Internet. Some modern conveniences have lived up to the promise of saving us time and effort more successfully than others. Information technology is something of a paradox. It has allowed us to find, transform, and use information much more quickly. At the same time, the opportunities it creates for us to interact with data, and each other, more richly often result in us spending more of our time with our computers!

The effort over these years to allow working people more reasonable hours has resulted in innovations like the 40-hour work week, paid vacations, and sick leave for many. This kind of “leisure” has made a difference in our health, the time we have with family, our ability to travel more, and engage in our communities. For some, these important efforts to secure better working conditions may have also created the false impression that our goal should be to spend as little time at work as possible.

I spent much of my childhood with this kind of attitude. It seemed like work was necessary, but unsatisfying. It was something to be avoided or minimized. Chores? You had to do them, but who would want to? While we’d talk about what we wanted to be when we grew up, I thought of how this would allow me to get the things I wanted and to have a family. I didn’t have a clear understanding of how work could provide the satisfaction of earning your living, and of making a difference.

Even as I prepared for college, one of the things I looked at was a booklet that provided estimates of what I could earn from different career choices. There were definitely times as a boy and young man that I was getting the message that finding a way to minimize work, get rich quick, and have the most fun possible was the answer. I was sitting in a freshman history class and found it revolutionary when the TA argued that work itself could provide the greatest satisfaction.

He was talking about the value and meaning that work brings to life and providing a historical context that showed work in light of a time before the notions of salary and wages. Seeing work this way, as a means to create real value, and make a difference, changed my perspective. I had already chosen to major in enology, or wine making, by this point because I realized that making something tangible would be satisfying for me. Hearing this graduate student speak about the meaning of work, really brought things into focus for me.

With this different attitude towards work, I completed my university degree and began my professional career focused on seeking opportunities to work in the most meaningful way. I’d changed my major to psychology, and I ended up working in IT, so I didn’t achieve my desire to create something tangible in my professional life. Even with the fact that I’ve never much liked what I do as a manager, I’ve learned that in a broader context, I find my work rewarding and satisfying. By allowing me to care for and make a life with my wife and family, I feel that my work truly can be “love made visible”.

I’ve found so many ways to do satisfying work in my personal life. With the attitude that I want my work to express my love and make a difference, even things like housework contribute to my satisfaction. I’ve mentioned my volunteer work at SHARE and in Yosemite and these are deeply rewarding to me. I get to gratify my desire to make things tangible as we work on our home, cook, brew beer, and as I work in my woodshop. My creative work as a singer and songwriter bring me deep satisfaction and the work I do to enrich my relationships with my loved ones brings me the greatest joy of all.

I’ve realized over time that, if I were given unlimited leisure hours, I’d choose to spend a significant amount of my time on work. As I look forward to retirement, a very wise woman (my darling Sue) has told me that I’d better have a plan for my time. I know that plan will include many kinds of work. I look forward to our working together, to working alone as my creative process often requires, and to working with others in our community. Each form of work will bring it’s own satisfaction. I do look forward to more time for travel and leisure with my loved ones too, and I imagine it will be sweeter with good work for a counterbalance.