My Work

Let me do my work from day to day,
In fields or forests, at the desk or loom,
In roaring market place or tranquil room.
Let me find it in my heart to say,
When vagrant wishes beckon me astray,
"This is my work - my blessing, not my doom -
Of all who live I am the only one by whom
this work can best be done in my own way."
Then I shall see it, not too great or small,
To suit my spirit and arouse my powers.
Then shall I cheerfully greet the laboring hours,
And cheerfully turn, when long shadows fall
at eventide, to play and love and rest,
Because I know for me my work was best.

~*~Henry Van Dyke~*~

Did you ever notice the only difference between work and play is the amount of enjoyment you derive from each of them? What makes us enjoy one task and moan regretfully at another one which is similar?

If I asked my son to change the oil in my car he would probably consider that undesirable work, but if I bought him a cool old car and told him to fix it up he would think I was great. When my daughter was first able to drive on her own she volunteered for each and every errand. After the "new" had worn off that was no longer the case. If my husband asks me to get a needle and thread and sew a patch on his jeans I look at that as drudgery, but if I use the same needle and thread to begin work on a quilt - that's fun.

After giving this some thought, I've come up with the following revelation: there's not much difference between work and play, it's all in the attitude. What else would make a woman in today's world look down on baking cookies if she does it for her own family? Let the same woman bake cookies in an oh-so-glamorous bakery and she will feel a sense of worth. I just don't get it.

To work at home for and with our loved ones is a privilege we shouldn't take lightly. It is an honor that sometimes we take for granted. Let's not forget it is a blessing to be allowed to fulfil our duties to the best of our abilities.

Our attitudes need to be checked occasionally. Do we grumble because we have more than our share to do? Do we complain when ends don't meet and we have to figure out ways to be even more thrifty than we already are? Make your work your play. Make it a game you set out to enjoy and win.

More Station Master's Opinion Pages

First Steps in Winning the War
Stay at Home Women
How to Be an Unforgettable Woman
The Rules

You'll find lots of useful and beautiful graphics at:

I want to thank Laurie Ann for the use of these. She's a talented artist with a mouse!


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Special thanks to Joe Burns for his tutorials and information on HTML and more at HTML Goodies. I couldn't have designed these pages without his help.