Work and satisfaction

Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction.
Anne Frank

Work is central to my being and the fact that I have not gone into the office since the the end of May last year should be troubling to me. After all, I am disabled, and becoming increasingly less mobile. Everything takes me twice as long to do and often I am not showered and ready to be seen before late morning.

But I don't miss work at all. I do miss the people that I worked with, in some cases for over a decade.  What I don't miss:

• Rushing around trying to get ready 
• Working in the office with increasingly less efficiency
• Riding my scooter around trying to not hit small children or the company president
• Going to lunch room at noon and trying to wrestle open packages with one hand

And the list goes on... There are so many things I don't miss that it almost makes up for the loneliness I feel some days.

Really?

Of course, some of this may be attributable to seasonal affective disorder, which is directly related to the amount of sunlight in the day. But just to be sure, I am stepping up my volunteering.  According to one of my friends, many organizations are desperate for volunteers, so even though I am pretty disabled, it's just a matter of matching my abilities with what the organization needs. To accomplish this, I made a grid listing my skills, abilities, needs and passions and then tried to match them up with opportunities at organizations like the Red Cross, Springfield Center for Independent Living, the Springfield Area Literacy Council etc.Hopefully I will find something.

Relaxing

Helping another person is deeply satisfying. Some days, all I can get accomplished is talking on the phone to my daughter or making dinner for my husband or meeting with the girl that I mentor. Other days I am more productive and do writing, planning, and help my older daughter prepare for her wedding. A retired friend  told me that as long as I accomplish one thing each day, I can consider it worthwhile. I have found this to be very helpful, allowing me to ease up on myself and relax.. Life is more enjoyable as a result. Who knew?