The job

I read an article last week on ABCnews.com about the power of a job. John Stossel wrote about how a job gives us something to get up for, some reason for being. We have to get it done.

It's not just the fancy corporate jobs that create this kind of meaning in our lives, nor is it just the non-profit make-a-difference jobs that do it. Stossel wrote about prisoners trying to re-enter society, and I watched this idea unfold before my eyes yesterday.

At work we held a holiday hospitality dinner for our neighbors, staff, and friends. The room was bustling with people, probably double the number that are normally in it. The prep work to make the event happen involved a bit of manual labor. I'm definitely feeling it today. But there was one man, a neighbor, who could not do enough to help out. He carried tables, he laid out decorations. He refilled people's water cups, and he rushed up to the front to serve meals. The dinner was supposed to be for him, but instead he chose to serve.

I wondered at his compulsion to stay busy in this time of celebration. He knew the job would get done faster if he helped. He knew people would notice him if he leant a a hand. In short, I think he found this work brought some meaning to his life in that moment. For a man who is struggling with homelessness and joblessness, I'll bet that was pretty powerful.

Somehow many of us are able to reach a position where we can not only find meaning in having a job, but we can relish in the kind of work we're doing. We can believe that our work somehow matters in the grander scheme of things. That's how I feel about this position in Indy.