This was supposed to go out yesterday. I thought “A Labor of Love” sounds like such a lovely title for a Labor Day post, I should write something. I sat down to write, got distracted, and realized that I so often extoll the virtues of my profession and blather on about how much I enjoy it that yet another post about how awesome you guys are would just be overkill. So I slept most of the day and spent my waking hours incredibly stoned, reading a book.
This morning I woke up early enough to catch the last commuter bus downtown which gave me a good hour or so to grab coffee and futz around on the internet. The morning was gray and the forecast was for gloom all day. As I walked to and from the bus, my mood sank comfortably into gloom as well. Two of my best girl friends and confidants just moved away from Seattle and the third in my loving lady trifecta has been out of town and/or so busy I haven’t seen her in two months.
I generally try to compact my work days so my free time comes at the end of my day but today I’m spread evenly throughout the day. It means I have chunks of time long enough to think but not long enough to go do something. It means I often get bored, sleep, or waste time online. The prospect of such a day plus the bedraggled stray feeling of social neglect tagging behind me made for a dull morning. Even my favorite coffee beverage from my favorite barista wasn’t enough to lift my spirits.
Then you showed up. You know who you are and you are not alone in your ability to first distract me from my melodrama, then genuinely change my mood. Your big smile, your respect for my limits, your appreciation for our time together, your conversation, your insights, your trust, and that dreamy look you wear out the door flipped my mood around so thoroughly that I don’t mind so much the prospect of creating new friendships from scratch and keeping myself sane in the meantime.
I would not love what I do if each day I faced a series of impersonal, disconnected, pushy, self involved, shallow interactions. I love what I do because each day I meet genuine, caring, respectful, humorous, interesting people. You are not who I would meet under any other circumstances. In what world would I meet such a variety of individuals and connect with them on a prearranged yet personal level? In which universe would I be allowed to lie naked and warm in the crook of your arm in the afterglow of sexual passion asking you about your life? Where else would I find both the impetus and the freedom to pursue educational avenues alongside personal reflections? Nowhere else but here, in my little corner of Seattle, where you and I are the only two in existence, for a while.
You are my inspiration.
Thank you