It's What I Do

It's What I Do.
By John R. Greenwood

In order for me to hold up my end of the marriage agreement and help pay the mortgage I must show up for work everyday. My work-life revolves around safe driving; teaching it, preaching it, and practicing it. For the last two days I have been up to my neck in a Truck Safety and Education Symposium in Albany. The purpose of this piece is not to spread the message of how important safe driving is nor is it to promote any individual company, agency, product, or individual. The purpose of this piece is two-fold. I thought it would be interesting to talk about the pull between what we have to do to eat, and what we have to do to survive. 
Aren't they the same thing? 
No, and I'll tell you why. 

Although I am as 
passionate about following distance as I am a posting a poem, photo, or touching story I sometimes have to decide between what I love to do and what I have to do. I am quite content living in the median between the two roads. I have spent much of the last few decades mired in the work-life, unable to breathe, unable to define the other life we all seem to be searching for. Only in the last few years have I begun to embrace writing, sharing, and absorbing. My blog has saved me. It has given me a venue, an injection of creative joy. 

The last two days have revived my work-life because of the people I met and their commitment to promoting public safety. Every person I met in the last two days took great pride in their roles. I am tired of hearing Joe Public complain about our neighbors in governmental positions. In the last two days I have met dozens of representatives from all areas of the government and from every level. They are not different. They are struggling to get the car repaired and the dog to the vet just like you and I.

They sit on safety boards because they care. They share information because they love to teach and encourage each other. 

I received a message from  Jon Katz this week. He announced exciting news about a reception and presentation our writing group will be sharing on May 31st at the Freight Depot Theater in Cambridge, NY. It is one more mile in our writing journey. I am being honest when I tell you how happy I am to be a part of both entities; my work-life and my writing-life. Each one carrying it own merits and rewards. It really boils down to the effort you put into what your doing. Work can be as rewarding as anything you do if you approach it with the right attitude. That sometimes requires stepping back and re-evaluating, not only what you have, but what you are looking to accomplish in your life. This has been a busy week. I missed my writing-life, revved up my work-life, and so the the cycle goes...

"Sometimes to survive--you mix the two." -jrg