The Joy of the Working

When Earth's Last Picture is Painted
by Rudyard Kipling

When Earth's last picture is painted and the tubes are twisted and dried,
When the oldest colours have faded, and the youngest critic has died,
We shall rest, and, faith, we shall need it -- lie down for an aeon or two,
Till the Master of all good workmen shall set us to work anew.
And those who were good shall be happy; they shall sit in a golden chair;
They shall splash at a ten-league canvas with brushes of comets' hair.
They shall find real saints to draw from -- Magdalene, Peter, and Paul;
They shall work for an age at a sitting and never be tired at all!

And only The Master shall praise us, and only The Master shall blame;
And no one shall work for money, and no one shall work for fame,
But each for the joy of the working, and each, in his separate star,
Shall draw the thing as he sees It for the God of things as they are!

This is my favorite poem.

There's something in it that I want to experience--the joy of the working!

I have worked for the same company, in the same department, doing basically the same job for going on NINE years now. It has been a wonderful place for learning and experience. I've traveled. I've met some very interesting people along the way. The coolest thing is-I've been PAID to learn how to do some really cool things in the world of digital photography & graphic design. I can honestly say that at one point, I would have done this job even if I wasn't getting paid. True, there were many times I wanted to quit. In the beginning, there was a lot of fighting. We wanted to revolutionize the company & many people thought that meant we wanted to get rid of them (in some cases we did!). Sometimes the fight was what got me out of bed in the morning. The thought of them 'winning' made me go at it even harder.

It seems, though, that these last couple of years I haven't been learning as much. There's no longer anything to fight for. We won!! Several of the people who were afraid of losing their jobs have retired! I've reached a point where the only reason I get up & go is for a paycheck. I love my co-workers. I am bored outta my mind with the job. I'm slipping back into some old (bad) habits.

I want out!

But where does one go from here? It is not economical to work for free. Can I ask my family to adjust to a much smaller income? Is it fair to them? On the other hand-is it fair that they get the worst of me? I've spent so much time in a place I don't want to be. I come home & am tired, hungry, & usually in a bad mood (for no apparent reason). Is it fair to my son that he only gets to see me when I put him to bed? Is it fair to my husband that he doesn't get to see me at all? I feel like I'm losing my grip on life.

I want more.
More than what I'm getting from this rat race.

I don't mind working. I enjoy it. I can't really imaging my life without it.

But...

Does work have to be everything?

What do I want for Christmas this year?

To work, for the joy of the working

To be able to say, "I would do this even if I wasn't getting paid"



SMC