Invested Time.
“the mere act of practicing a craft and caring for the people I interact with is in and of itself sacred work.”
Throughout this summer of feeling sick from allergies and working a job that requires an abundance of physical and emotional energy, I have found myself reflecting on time. Are the ventures and jobs I pursue impactful or good uses of my finite time? This question is not a new or nuanced inquiry for me. It is one that I enjoy contemplating and use as a method to realign my priorities toward what is essential.
In the past few years, I have dedicated countless hours to educating others. The topics range from environmental stewardship to photography or even general life advice. All of these hours of education have one thing in common; they are an investment into the future. Where uneasiness arrives is that it is likely this investment of educating children, or even adults, may not equate to anything meaningful. An exceedingly disturbing scenario would be for my participation in the education or development of kids to result in their negative or catastrophic actions that hurt the community I cared for deeply and thoroughly invested in.
I prefer living in reality, which is why I strive to avoid such fear-based scenarios. All I can do is uphold an optimistic perspective when assessing my contribution to society. Alternatively, I need to weigh the possibility that the mere act of practicing a craft and caring for the people I interact with is in and of itself sacred work. Although I find myself depleted of energy and struggling to maintain social commitments, I hope that these efforts are beneficial to those with whom I have the privilege to share insights.
