The Dignity of Work

So I've prayed, and I've applied, and I've waited and I've blogged. In short, I've done everything I can think of short of standing in downtown FR with a sign saying "Will work for minimum wage". So I'll blog some more in hopes that if I go on enough about the dignity of work, I'll end up getting some completely boring, menial job that I'll hate with every fiber of my being and be able to write another blog post recanting everything I'll write below. Let's see what happens.

The Dignity of Work

Work has dignity. Man is made to work. God didn't tell Adam to just lounge around the Garden of Eden, I'm sure God gave him a 'To Do' list. And I'm equally sure that Adam appreciated it. Because really there are few things more satisfying than being able to say you've managed to do everything you planned to and needed to in a day. But there are different degrees of satisfaction of course. There's the satisfaction of having finally finished a 10.5 hour day at a factory and being able to sit down and not think about parts any more, to be done, and to not give a darn about seeing anything work related for at least another twelve hours.

There's the satisfaction of cleaning out a drawer, or a room in your house that really needs an overhaul- throwing out the rubbish, organising the stuff you want to keep, and pruning the bookshelf, if absolutely necessary. That's the sort of satisfaction you get as you look around your cleaned up room and know where absolutely everything is.... only to know that by the end of the month, you will definitely have to tidy up again- at least if you're anything like me.

And there's the satisfaction of doing something you really enjoy for about eight hours, and coming back to a place that is home (home for me is qualified as anywhere I will be living for 90 days or more) and making yourself dinner and knowing that you'll meet your loan payment and the rent.

Yeah. This last kind of satisfaction that has to do with the dignity of work is going to be the hardest to obtain.

JC (who is not the same as J-chan, by the way) suggests that I join the PeaceCorps. I thought about that in August last year. And truth be told, I'm still thinking about it, but only if all of my other options really run out. It is, however, currently higher on my list than joining the AF. Even though I really won't be making money, they give you 6,000 at the end and you can frequently defer your loan.

Anyway... 

Work has dignity. Even lousy 9-5 bean-counting or burger-frying. It's still better than being unemployed.

I have somewhere to live for the coming month, and I have my health. Both of these are important assets.

I will try to post something more cheerful on this blog, eventually. JC says if I just make it through this next month, things will be better. I'm not entirely convinced but I'll do my best. I just need something to work out. I've been saying this for a while now. It's still true.

Non nobis Domine.