for some time now i’ve been struggling with the word ‘work’.i’m in the privileged position of no longer needing to work for a living.
so what do i call what i am now doing? it occupies much of my days, like most people’s work. i talk about it endlessly, as many people do about their work. i care deeply about it, as some people are fortunate enough to care. people ask me about it…always calling it work.
to me it is not work in the classic sense. it isn’t drudgery. it isn’t boring. it isn’t something i do for a period of time and then live the rest of my life. it isn’t onerous. it isn't something i resent. it isn’t something i need to balance with ‘life’.
instead, it is a passion.i’ve thought about the substitute words ‘vocation’ or ‘calling’. i love those words, and certainly what i do is both of those. it is a place for my voice and it is something i am called to do. because they have religious connotations, i don’t feel totally comfortable using them when i speak to people about my passion.suddenly, in conversation with an acquaintance recently, it came to me. she said, “you do what gives you joy”.
and there it was…joywork. yes, it is work. it is demanding of my attention, my awareness, my time. it is fulfilling, as well as asking me to spend more time indoors, looking at a screen, than i might otherwise do. and it gives me great joy.joywork is a gift of elderhood. this is the time when we can choose to do what gives us joy, what nourishes us, what brings a smile, and a deep sense of satisfaction. we have the time and inner resources to find meaningful, passionate occupation, whether that be political activism, creative endeavour, or grandparenting.joywork is a gift to the world.