Routine

To my dear friends,
Lost in ordinariness and routine of their daily tasks

We have often heard,
Do what you love, and
You do not have to work another day.

I would like to propose a different approach.
We are all unique individuals.
Thus, no two people can perform a task exactly the same,
No matter how routine and ordinary it may seem.

For example, to enter the campus where I work,
I pass the security guards everyday.
They are there, rain or shine,
Under the hot sun or freezing snow.

I think to myself, there is no job more boring than this:
Check everyone's badge and let them get in.
Yet, each guard has a different approach to it.

Some, have a sense of honor and duty.
They think they are contributing to a great cause.
Helping to service the Hubble telescope, or orbit moon.
They secure mission success*,
They give you a polite "Good morning Ma'am",
The warmest "Welcome back"s,
And the most sincere "stay safe"s.
They make your day start right,
With positive energy.

There are others who take things under their own control
They make small talk with every driver
They get to know each of them a little more everyday
They view their jobs as an opportunity to befriend the brightest minds

And then there are the sad ones
The ones that make you feel guilty everyday
They barely look at you,
They feel so tired, so bored, so fed up with their jobs,
You feel sorry for them.

They are all doing the same job,
It is what they make of it that makes the difference
How they value it
How they view it***
How they try to make it meaningful

As long as we connect with other human beings
There are hearts and minds to learn from, to connect with, to conquer
And that is nowhere near boring.

Then there are other jobs,
Which in their own description,
Demand affecting people's way of thinking,
The way they approach life and problems
Like teachers, researchers, psychologists, etc.
Yet, these experts find themselves exhausted in the ordinariness of these jobs.

So, if you have not found something you love to do,
Give meaning and find a higher purpose
For what you do in the meantime,
Because that will keep you going.

Before that, please tell me
How can any task be routine,
When No man ever steps in the same river twice,
for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.**

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* This came out of an OpenGoddard's discussion, when trying to come up with a slogan for the group. The idea was to start a campaign "We -- Mission Success" and everyone would fill the blank based on their duties.
** Heraclitus
*** Here are two other anecdotes of how different people view the same job differently:
1. From an OpenGoddard post:
One day, a man walked by a building where three men were cutting stones. He went up to the first, seemingly unhappy man, and asked “What are you doing?” The stone cutter replied, saying “breaking rocks.”

The man walked up to the next stone cutter, who seemed to be enjoying his job more than the first. He asked, “What are you doing?” The second stone cutter smiled, saying “earning a living.”

Finally the man came to the third stone cutter, who was singing and dancing while cutting his stone. As before, the man asked “What are you doing?” The stone cutter joyfully responded, saying building a cathedral!”

2. President Kennedy once visited a NASA site in 1960s and encountered a janitor. Kennedy asked the janitor, "And what's your job?" The reply was, "Mr. President, I'm helping to put a man on the moon."

Brutally Honest

I have been brutally honest.
I have paid a high price for it.
The rewards were greater though,
For I am now surrounded by dear ones
Who not only appreciate this quality
But also demand nothing less.

I made the right choice

For I passed you by
Without feeling anything.
I laugh more often,
And feel much lighter,
Without you.