I have a new friend who doesn't work so that she won't take a job from someone who needs it. (Did that statement throw you a little? It did me when I heard it, because I'd never heard it before.) As she discretely and humbly says, her husband generates enough money for their family.
She's bright, educated, relationally intelligent, personable and I have no doubt could procure a well-paying job and add to a local company. But she has a broad view of things. A broad view of our community that's lead her to make a selfless decision that's benefited someone in our community whom she and we will never know.
So what does she do? She volunteers her valuable time to local organizations that can benefit from skills they could otherwise never afford to retain. (Further details withheld to protect her anonymity.)
I love this. We so often equate usefulness with a salary and yet my friend's pro bono reputation precedes her. She gets things done. She makes an impact. She's a difference-maker. And the recipient of her efforts? Us. The community. The greater good. And I'm assuming, her soul, her sense of well-being. And probably the same sense of satisfaction we all derive from giving great effort in exchange for a paycheck.
So I don't expect you to read this and quit your job. But how about more appropriately, what are we doing for our community? What are we doing that's not about me and mine getting better, but for the greater good?
Tough question, but worthy to wrestle with.
Peace.
